American Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region

My Red Cross Story: Christine Weber

Written by: Clarice Nassif Ransom, Communications Volunteer

Volunteer: Christine Weber
Years of volunteer service: 3
Profession: Dog Trainer
Resides: Sterling, Virginia

Meet Christine Weber, volunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) for the past three years. As a volunteer, Christine helps people recover from disasters like home fires and makes sure they are cared for in their time of deepest despair.

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“I love helping people, it’s in my nature.” 

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For example, Christine will go onsite to where a home fire occurred, day or night, and help identify alternative shelter, food, supplies, and financial assistance for impacted individuals and families. 

Our Red Cross Story: The Jokl Family

 By Sandy Habib, Red Cross Volunteer

In 2014 and early 2015, Lee and Kirsten Jokl were excited soon-to-be, first-time parents. By all accounts, Kirsten’s pregnancy was normal until early February 2015, when their son Elin was born six weeks prematurely. While being born so early can pose a huge challenge on its own, it was just the beginning of a slew of surgeries and procedures that Elin would soon face. 

Doctors quickly discovered that he was born with a blockage in his small intestine. At just 16 hours old, Elin underwent his first surgery. His medical team identified a blockage and removed the perforated section, thinking Elin’s problems were solved. Ten days later and still in the hospital, Elin’s body was fighting an infection in his bloodstream and became septic due to another blockage that doctors hadn’t previously discovered. He was then rushed to the Johns Hopkins Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where he received his first Red Cross blood transfusion. Within days, he needed another surgery and with it, another blood transfusion.