A little over twenty years ago, Rene Brisendine suffered a heart attack and was rushed to Swedish hospital. She was treated so well at the hospital that she decided to give back. She became a volunteer and has been working in the volunteer-run gift shop ever since.
"Rene is amazing. She runs that gift shop like a clock. She has put in over 20,400 hours of volunteer time," said Meredith Bland, Volunteer Coordinator.
A Ballardite of 25 years, Brisendine and her husband moved to Ballard to get away from the Minnesota snow and to be closer to their son who worked in the fishing industry.
"We love the boats and we have a beautiful view of the Olympic mountains.
I don't want to be any place else," Brisendine said.
"My husband and I, we're just comfortable here, even with the growth. As my husband says, Ballard is the sleeping giant that woke up."
At least twice a week, Brisendine can be found at the little gift shop in the Swedish hospital surrounded by flowers, teddy bears that say "I was born in Swedish hospital", cards, candy and souvenirs.
Pins on her vests represent various milestones she has reached in 20-year run at Swedish. One pin reads "19000" hours, which she was given last years. Another reads "15 years". She carries a photo of her "angels" in her lanyard - three young kids smiling at the camera. Brisendine, 79, has eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
She considers her coworkers her second family.
"There are so many great people at work here. No matter how big we grow it's a community hospital. You make lifelong friends when you do something like this."
"I've always enjoyed working with Rene," said Mary Markey, Brisendine's colleague of 20 years.
"She is very good at everything she does. And she's good to her volunteers and a very good family mom."
To her co-workers, she serves as the gift shop's buyer, organizer and grandma figure but to her customers she's much more than that. She's the patient listener for the dozens of customers she interacts with everyday.
"The first thing you have to understand is that a good portion of customers are under stress. You have to speak to them in a voice that says, "I'm feeling with you"," she said.
"And sometimes you want to to into the back room and just cry but people just need someone to talk to."
When asked how much longer she plans on volunteering she said she'll do it as long as she's capable.
"I'm healthy, I'm able to do it and I just enjoy it so much," she said.
"Truthfully, it gives you the sense that you've helped someone and that you're useful. We all want to be useful."
Any profit made in the giftshop goes towards a fund called the auxiliary, which raises funds for equipment that isn't necessarily in the capital expendature list but necessary nonetheless.
These items can be anything from vans to a scale someone might need, Brisendine said.
Brisendine is only one of approximately 130 volunteers at Swedish Ballard.
"There are not enough words to express how important volunteers are at hospitals," Brisendine said. 'Their time is very valuable."
"[Brisendine] works long hours, never complains, and to top it all off she is a pleasure to work with. Her commitment to Swedish Ballard is phenomenal. I don't know how she does it!," Bland said.
"Volunteers are very important to our hospital," echoed Pam Barber, Administrative Assistant. "Rene is wonderful. We can't live without her."

Neighborhood Gems is a feature series highlighting the unsung heroes in the community. Know anyone who should be featured? Let us know! anner@robinsonnews.com