Nurses are the backbone of our health care system. From lending an empathetic ear to administering medications to sitting with us when it feels like the world is falling down around us, they are there—making us feel human while seeming superhuman themselves. The nurses within these pages are the ones you nominated for their lasting influence, and they are truly the champions of our West Virginia centers of care. Read their stories, discover what inspires them, and be inspired yourself.

C.J. Grimes

RN, Perioperative Lead WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Specialty: Perioperative nursing

C.J. Grimes will never forget the day his life changed forever. On August 16, 2003, he was traveling along Interstate 79 when a car traveling in the wrong direction caused a multi-vehicle crash. His survival of that crash not only gave him a new lease on life—it laid the foundation for his future career in nursing.

Grimes was extracted through the use of jaws of life and airlifted to WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. His care team stabilized him before rushing him into emergency surgery at the 5 North Operating Room. The crash left him with a ruptured spleen, perforated colon, multiple fractures, and deep lacerations. That first eight-hour surgery was the beginning of a two-year recovery process.

“Because of Ruby and the people here, I was given a second chance, and I wanted to be able to give others that chance, too,” Grimes says. He had tried college a couple times previously, but he had never found a career he was passionate about. His care team changed that, inspiring him to apply to nursing school.

He started classes in 2005 and applied after graduation to work at 5NOR, the same place that had made such a difference in his life. He was hired in 2008 and has been working there ever since. Even after so many years in the field, Grimes still finds himself inspired at work every day. “I think a lot of people take what we do each day for granted, but for me, even after 20 years, I can still picture myself in that same situation. I was the one on that table. I’m very thankful I was taken care of so well here, and I want to keep that going, to contribute to taking care of others in need.”

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