Mimi Teller/American Red Cross

I came to Washington state from Los Angeles to support the American Red Cross disaster response to the December flooding. Like anyone who deploys, I arrived prepared for long days, long drives and whatever the disaster might demand. But on Christmas Eve morning, I woke up dizzy and unable to sit up. Alone in a hotel room in a town I didn’t know, I couldn’t even reach the bottle of water sitting just a few steps away.

No good deed goes unpunished, right? Except there was nothing funny about the moment. It just felt lonely.

Then came a knock on the door from Angela Wright, a registered nurse and Red Cross disaster health services (DHS) volunteer staying in the same hotel.

DHS volunteers like Angela are essential to Red Cross response efforts. These medically trained professionals—nurses, paramedics, physicians and others, ensure that people affected by disaster receive safe, compassionate health support. They help evacuees replace lost medications, eyeglasses, medical equipment and essential supplies. They monitor chronic conditions, provide first aid, check vital signs and recognize when someone needs more advanced care. 

Beyond the clinical work, DHS volunteers offer reassurance and human connection at moments when people are overwhelmed, making sure no one’s health or wellbeing is overlooked during an already frightening time.

Angela joined the Red Cross in 2023 out of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region and, in only a few years, has deployed to eight national disaster responses. Two of those deployments have taken her away from home during Christmas—first to Maui and now to the Washington state flooding response.

When she heard I wasn’t well, she didn’t hesitate. She grabbed her medical bag and hurried to my room—because DHS volunteers also care for deployed Red Cross responders when needed. 

Angela checked my vitals and made sure I was stable, but what mattered just as much was what she did next: she made me tea the way her grandfather likes it—black tea with just a little milk.

They can teach you many things in nursing school, but not how to make a great cuppa. They can’t teach the instinct to pause, to listen, to offer the kind of comfort that steadies someone who suddenly feels very far from home. That part comes from the heart, and Angela has brought that heart to disasters across the country.

Red Cross volunteers show up for communities every day. But on Christmas Eve, one of them showed up for me, reminding me that even in the middle of a disaster response—surrounded by urgency and long hours—our mission is built on small acts of care.

And sometimes, comfort comes in the form of a warm cup of tea made exactly the way someone you love would make it.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.