Valley VNA Voices – Kelley K
I was born and raised in Oshkosh along with my older brother Michael and my younger brother Jonathan. My parents were divorced when I was young and dad remarried when I was six years old. That was 27 years ago, and my dad and stepmom raised me to who I am today. Between the ages of 5 years old and 9th grade, I was into dance and modeling. Leaving the dance behind me, I started basketball and volleyball. Growing up we had two cats, Pumpkin and Taffy, both were my dad’s girls and lived for 18 years. I graduated from Oshkosh West then attended UW Fox Valley, still no clue of what I wanted to do. I started as a receptionist at Island Shores in Neenah along with going to school, and then started my work as a caregiver. After 5 years there I started with the Valley VNA in the In Home Care program. After my long-time client died, I moved into assisted living. At the same time I lost a good amount of weight becoming healthy and working out. Standing at the gym one day I thought what am I going to do the rest of my life? Then it hit me to help others with health and wellness. Dad found out he had cancer and it really changed him. I saw him go from a positive person to thinking negative because of the cancer. That made me 
realize you need to change the thinking and mind along with the body and wellness. Dad’s journey helped me to know I wanted to go to school and help others with mind and body wellness. I graduated in 2017 with my degree and will soon be starting my new journey on the path helping others in a different way than I’ve been at the Valley VNA. If you have been to Sapphire Court and walked by the activity board you have seen a piece of me each day. Residents love to see the artwork along with the activities and things going on that day. You are a special person if you work at the Valley VNA. You think you’re here for the residents, but they give me back 200% of what I give them. I believe in hugs! I will stay on as a float but it will be hard to leave the residents and my coworkers. We are a big family, and the people here love you for simple things, it’s crazy.