First Posted: 1/23/2015
PITTSTON — Caring. Easily approachable. A heart worth more than gold. Those are a few ways to describe Gloria Blandina Humble might be the best way to describe her.
The director of the Care and Concern Free Health Clinic in Pittston for the past six years, Blandin has been named the 2014 recipient of the Joseph Saporito Sr. Lifetime of Service Award, presented by the Sunday Dispatch.
The first Lifetime of Service Award was presented posthumously to Saporito in 2000 and was accepted by his widow, Yolanda “Dolly” Saporito, who has since passed away, and his sons, Carlo Saporito and Atty. Joseph Saporito Jr. Thereafter, the award is not only presented in Saporito’s memory, it is also named for him.
To be nominated for the prestigious award, a person must have dedicated a lifetime of service to making a difference in the Greater Pittston Area. Nominations are accepted from the community with the final decision resting with members of the Dispatch editorial staff.
“Knowing the people who have received this award, I was kind of weak at the knees,” Blandina said of how she felt when told the news. “To be in that kind of company, I was really overwhelmed. I kind of went speechless there for a few minutes. I truly appreciate it and I didn’t expect it.”
Service from the start
Born and raised in Pittston, Blandina, 65, grew up a few blocks from the clinic she now directs. She graduated from high school in 1967, received a degree in early childhood education from West Virginia University in 1971 and a master’s degree in early childhood education from Marywood University.
“I was fascinated by the development of young children and I still am,” said Blandina. “That age group, that development when they’re just putting all of their things together and everything is happening, it absolutely intrigues me.”
Blandina spent several years working at a day care center and teaching early childhood education at Penn State University.
Her resume also includes being appointed to the Children’s Trust Fund in 1998 by then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, being a member of the board of directors of the Luzerne County Head Start, the board of directors of the Pittston YMCA, the board of directors for the Family Enhancement Center, president of the St. Mary’s Assumption Home School Association and the board of directors of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children.
Blandina and her husband, Jim, 68, have been married for 42 years and are the parents of two children. Their son, Michael, of Raleigh, N.C., is married and has two children, Giada, 1; and Enzo, 3. Their daughter, Jaime Weinschenk, of Duryea, is married and has one child, Barrett, 1.
A bump in the road
It was 13 years ago that Blandina’s friend, Mary Ellen Hromisin, asked her to join a Social Justice Committee that would deliver food baskets to those in need at Thanksgiving time.
Two years later, Blandina was hit hard with one of life’s biggest obstacles: Cancer.
She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell responsible for producing antibodies. In patients with multiple myeloma, collections of abnormal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow where they interfere with the production of normal blood cells.
The cancer is incurable and Blandina was given only a few months to live.
“Every day is a gift and there are no guarantees in life,” she said. “Usually, multiple myeloma patients only live three to five years, so I was counting the days there for a while and I thought, ‘Okay, we’ll see what happens.’”
A new beginning
After a few years, Blandina was able to return to activities and Hromisin told her the Social Justice Committee was starting the Care and Concern Free Health Clinic.
The clinic opened in 2007 under the direction of Blandina’s friend, Ann Cocco, who relinquished her position after a year and a half.
“People just turned around and said, ‘Okay, I think Gloria should do it,’” said Blandina. “I kept saying no and they kept saying yes. I did it and I’ve been doing it for six years now.”
The clinic is run by volunteers and is free to patients. When utility bills and other costs threatened to shut the clinic down, Blandina said St. John the Evangelist Pastor Msgr. John Bendik refused to let it close. With the help of fundraising, the clinic remains open today.
“We used to sell pizza coupons after Mass,” said Blandina. “We ran after people saying ‘Wait, wait, wait!’ We had no shame. Now, we do an annual golf tournament and last year we raised $25,000. Tom Medico was chair and he’s going to be chair this year again. That helps us tremendously.”
The clinic also earns money from the annual Greater Pittston Charity Train Ride to Jim Thorpe every September.
Under Blandina’s leadership, the clinic has logged 8,675 patient visits and more than 34 people volunteer their time every Wednesday.
Care and concern for others
The Pittston Care and Concern Free Health Clinic is free for those without medical insurance and with no place else to go.
“We started off thinking it was going to be basic medical (care), but so many serious illnesses have come our way,” said Blandina. “We’ve had several late stage cancers; we’ve had people really, really desperate. We see them at their weakest moments and when they come to us, we’re their last resort so it becomes very, very touching and very humbling for us to help people in their situation.”
Throughout her tenure at the clinic, Blandina has experienced some heartbreaking moments.
“It stays with you,” she said. “When you say to someone, ‘I’m sorry there is nothing we can help you with,’ it breaks your heart. I’ll be on the phone with Dr. (John F.) Callahan the next day trying to figure out what we could have done and what we can do in the future and where we can find more doctors. That’s the biggest challenge, finding specialists and finding more doctors to help us.”
Award has family meaning
Blandina offers her praise to the clinic’s volunteers for all they do and shares the Saporito Award with them.
“They are the most wonderful, fun people I’ve ever, ever worked with,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s just because we all care enough to do something and not look for a paycheck, or it’s just that they are the most wonderful, kind people who have all gathered together and have just been here. When I’m away, I really miss them and I can’t wait to get back to it. It’s very, very humbling to be here.”
Blandina’s name will join the likes of Dr. Lewis Druffner, a clinic volunteer who won the award in 2012, as well as her own father, Charles “Cugsy” Adonizio, who won the award in 2003.
She admits to immediately thinking of her father when she was told of being named the 2014 award recipient and is honored to share the award with him.
“It’s incredible,” said Blandina. “That’s the first thing I thought of and Joe Saporito was married to a cousin of ours. I hold Joe in the highest esteem.”
Through all of her titles and her struggles with cancer, Blandina is thankful.
“I’ve always been involved,” said Blandina. “I was thinking back and I’ve always had the opportunity to be involved. When my kids were growing up, when I was working on several boards of directors, that has been kind of a privilege for me to be allowed to be that active in life.”
