HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- "It's the mom connection. They know what it's like to need something."
That is how nurse Pam Medina explained the overwhelming response she received after she posted a plea -- on behalf of a co-worker -- on Facebook.
Medina asked for help after she learned her fellow nurse Sara Putnam was unexpectedly granted custody of her weeks-old granddaughter Isabella.
Medina said she learned about the situation when she happened to walk into the break room at Henrico Doctor's Hospital and saw her co-worker rummaging through a box of donated baby clothes.
"I told her to stop that and that I would find what she needed," Medina said.
So Medina, who lives in Richmond, posted her request on several Facebook pages like Short Pump Yard Sale and Short Pump Moms Classified.
"I explained her sudden need and that she was a hard-working woman," Medina said. "The response was overwhelming."
Soon Medina found herself driving all over Henrico, Richmond and Chesterfield -- picking up donated items.
"I picked up two strollers, a rock 'n' play, a baby swing set, a ton of clothes, and bottles," she said.
On Friday, Medina and her husband drove to the hospital to surprise Putnam.
"I told her I found her a stroller and she needed to come to the car to get it," Medina said.
Then, as her husband recorded video on a cell phone, Medina revealed the big surprise. A car filled with baby supplies.
"Oh my God! What have you done?" Putnam asked before starting to cry. "Thank you everybody!"
The over-the-top generosity of total strangers shocked the Henrico nurse who took it upon herself to help her co-worker.
"I just sobbed. I just cried," Medina said. "I am still overwhelmed by the response of folks who did not know me and did not know her."
"It makes me get really emotional now," she continued. "It's not me. It's the people who responded."
