THE STAFF AT GILLETT'S
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IS MOURNING
THE LOSS OF ONE OF THEIR NURSE
PRACTITIONERS.
SHE WAS CONSIDERED A PIONEER
IN HER FIELD.
SHE DID HAVE A WAY OF
CONNECTING WITH CHILDREN THAT A
LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE, EVEN
THOSE OF US WHO WORK IN
CHILDREN'S ORTHOPEDICS.
DURING SARAH GUTKNECHT'S
NURSING CAREER SHE TOOK DOZENS
OF MISSION TRIPS AROUND THE
WORLD ASSISTING IN SURGERIES ON
CHILDREN.
AS ANGELA DAVIS SHOWS US HER
PASSION FOR CHILDREN AND
MEDICINE IS WHAT MAKES HER LIFE
STORY SO MEMORABLE.
HERE'S TO SAY SHE COULDN'T
BELIEVE -- SHE USED TO SAY SHE
COULDN'T BELIEVE SHE GOT PAID
TO COME TO THE HOSPITAL EVERY
DAY TO PLAY WITH CHILDREN.
Reporter: AS A PEDIATRIC
NURSE PRACTITIONER WHO
SPECIALIZED IN ORTHOPEDICS,
SARAH GUTKNECHT WORKED CLOSELY
WITH CHILDREN BORN WITH
DISABILITIES AND THOSE WHO HAD
SUFFERED A TRAUMATIC INJURY.
ON A DAILY BASIS IS SHE WAS
TEAMED -- SHE WAS TEAMED UP
WITH ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON TOM.
A LOT OF TIMES WHEN I WOULD
GO IN, SHE WOULD BE SITTING ON
THE FLOOR WITH THE CHILD LAYING
WITH THEM, TALKING WITH THEM.
Reporter: HE SAYS WHEN HE
STARTED WORKING WITH SARAH IN
2003, IT WAS CLEAR SHE WAS
PASSIONATE ABOUT HER WORK.
WHEN I FIRST MET HER, I WAS
STRUCK BY HER S.E.A.L.
FOR LEARNING -- ZEAL FOR
LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE.
Reporter: HER LOVE OF TRAVEL
LED HER TO VOLUNTEER WITH
OPERATION SMILE, A NONPROFIT
THAT PROVIDES SURGERIES TO
CHILDREN OVERSEAS.
SHE TOOK NEARLY 30 MISSION
TRIPS TO SIX CONTINENTS.
SOME OF THOSE PLACES THAT
YOU GO, YOU KNOW, SOUTHEAST
ASIA, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY JUST
OTHERWISE WOULDN'T GET ANY
ACCESS TO CARE AND A LOT OF IT
IS CLEFT LIP AND CLEFT PALATE.
Reporter: PULLING IN HIS
HOSPITAL COWORKERS TO JOIN HER.
SHE BROUGHT THAT ENERGY AND
ENTHUSIASM AND IT JUST BUILDS
AND IT GROWS.
Reporter: IN MARCH OF 2016
SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH
PANCREATIC CANCER.
SHE FOUGHT THE DISEASE FOR MORE
THAN A YEAR BUT THEN IN JUNE OF
2017 SHE WENT INTO HOSPICE
CARE.
PROBABLY MOST PEOPLE KNOW
THAT A DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATIC
SERIOUS IS NOT A -- CANCER IS
NOT A GOOD ONE.
Reporter: HER YOUNG PATIENTS
AND HER COLLEAGUES GREATLY MISS
HER SMILE AND HER LAUGHTER.
NOW WE SAY AMONGST OURSELVES
THAT SHE IS CONTINUING ON HERE
BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT WE ARE
DIFFERENT.
Reporter: ANGELA DAVIS, WCCO
4 NEWS.
SARAH GUTKNECHT WAS 54 YEARS
OLD WHEN SHE DIED ON AUGUST
24th.
IN HER HONOR, ROBESHAWN'S IN-
LINE SKATE WILL DONATE 10
