Ever since he was a kid, Jeff Geoppinger’s family has made a special delivery for the holidays: They drop off a gingerbread house to the nurses who took care of Jeff as a baby.
Jeff’s mom, Jewel, has held a special place in her heart for the nurses who helped Jeff recover from surgery in 1975. The family got to take Jeff home from the hospital that year on Christmas Eve.
Every year since, Jewel has picked out a gingerbread house for nurses at Cincinnati Children’s. She lets Jeff know when it’s ready for delivery.
Jeff, known to new nurses as “The Gingerbread Man,” is continuing the tradition with his son, 6-year-old Henry, who had heart surgery here when he was just four days old.
We recorded the family’s story two years ago for our “Tell Me a Story” audio slideshow project. Today, the Geoppingers are still spreading the holiday spirit.
“We are definitely still delivering the houses,” Jeff says. “Henry is doing well, and he continues to receive excellent care from his physicians and nurses at Cincinnati Children’s.”
[…] on a University Campus — California,2011 »Things RememberedHave you had a chance to read “You Just Can’t Stop the Gingerbread Man” on our blog?When I read it I was stunned when I recognized the family’s name […]