A national tragedy hits home for Asante

Asante employees were saddened to hear that the hiker who died near a recreation trail in Arizona was in fact a beloved nurse in ARRMC’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

Jessica Lindstrom’s tragic passing on Aug. 4 at age 34 captured public attention and generated media coverage the world over. Authorities believe she died from heat-related causes as temperatures in Phoenix reached 115 degrees.

Her colleagues reacted with shock and deep sadness.

“I honestly do not have the words to describe how unimaginably exquisite of a human being Jessica was,” says Malia Ross-Cwiklinksi, Inpatient Rehab manager who worked with Lindstrom. “She not only embodied all Asante’s values in every way, she also inspired all of us to be our best selves each and every day. She was an exceptional nurse, an engaged and supportive co-worker, a loving and compassionate friend, and the type of person all of us should strive to be like.

“Outside of work she was a dedicated, compassionate, loving and engaged wife and mother,” Ross-Cwiklinski adds. “She volunteered and was an active, positive member in the community. She lived the change she wanted to see in the world every day that I worked with her. She was a rock for me and my team and will be missed beyond belief.”

Lindstrom, an employee since 2016, leaves behind a husband, Daniel Lindstrom, and four young children. Daniel posted on Facebook that Jessica died at Deems Hills Recreation Area, the same place he proposed to her more than a decade ago.

“I married my best friend and into the most amazing family,” he wrote. “She is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. Me and my boys are deeply saddened but we feel the love from everyone so abundantly.”

Friends established a Go Fund Me page to help cover expenses.

The publicity surrounding the case has prompted Asante to break with its longstanding tradition of not publicly discussing the death of an employee out of respect for their privacy.

“Since Jessica’s death made national headline news, as an organization we wanted to openly express our sincere feeling of loss and grief for her husband and their four young children,” said Lauren Van Sickle, Asante Communications manager. “Jessica was a much-loved member of the Asante family for seven years. Her passing will be felt by those who worked beside her and by the patients she cared for.”