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The Human Beings Known as the Arnold-Klein Family


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Actually Bill said that a fan came to their house once and was shocked when Bill actually opened the door and saw the fan standing there. I think they are very exposed and I am sure they are very concerned about the welfare of the kids when they are out and about. Not sure if they actually have a body guard but i wouldnt be surprised. Fame attracts all kinds of people. The good and the weird and the bad.

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Actually Bill said that a fan came to their house once and was shocked when Bill actually opened the door and saw the fan standing there. I think they are very exposed and I am sure they are very concerned about the welfare of the kids when they are out and about. Not sure if they actually have a body guard but i wouldnt be surprised. Fame attracts all kinds of people. The good and the weird and the bad.

 

Yes Bill said they have had fans come to their house and it would be easy enough to find if that was your goal.  We saw Steve, Kate +8's bodyguard, in Washington and in India.    

 

The longer the kids have to be in front of a production crew following them around with booms/lights/equipment and goldfish the less normal their lives are.  Just seems the kids were "saved" so they could be part of a 3 ring circus.  

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Just seems the kids were "saved" so they could be part of a 3 ring circus.

 

Just to put it in perspective for you, the super awesome New Day foster home in China was not treating and or was not aware of Will's sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is no joke, it takes years off your life if it's not treated. It also costs several thousand dollars to diagnose, the machine is easily a thousand dollars, and its another 150 or so every six months for new tubes, filters and masks. Because Will was "saved" he will now likely live a longer healthier life. So that, coupled with the medical treatment he is getting now and wasn't receiving in China for his other health problems does make me think, despite my basic objection to children being on reality shows, that Will is probably better off being part of the exploited circus than he was in the Chinese foster care system. Of course opinions vary.

 

Here's another reality point - when this show is canceled, Bill and Jen are still legally obligated to raise their adopted children, regardless of whether the kids are bringing in money.

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Just to put it in perspective for you, the super awesome New Day foster home in China was not treating and or was not aware of Will's sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is no joke, it takes years off your life if it's not treated. It also costs several thousand dollars to diagnose, the machine is easily a thousand dollars, and its another 150 or so every six months for new tubes, filters and masks. Because Will was "saved" he will now likely live a longer healthier life. So that, coupled with the medical treatment he is getting now and wasn't receiving in China for his other health problems does make me think, despite my basic objection to children being on reality shows, that Will is probably better off being part of the exploited circus than he was in the Chinese foster care system. Of course opinions vary.

 

 

 

My husband has sleep apnea so I have personal knowledge.  I am not familiar with the Chinese health care system and I agree a child in an orphanage is likely the last of candidates but we don't know that for a fact.  We do know Will had had one surgery there for his urology issue.  

 

In Canada our health care covers all overnight sleep studies, the supply of an up to date CPAP machine and all related maintenance and follow up.  We are fortunate.  I have no clue about costs in the US if anything.  

 

Sleep apnea patients can often be removed from CPAP machines.  The doctor said if my husband lost weight he would not need the CPAP any longer and this proved to be correct.  It became the white noise in the room and once it was gone I had trouble adjusting! 

 

Little people often have sleep apnea because of neck compression especially when Will has a larger head.  His neck carries more weight to start off with.  When they had their doctor friends over for dinner they asked Jen if Will had apnea and she said he had difficulty breathing and was loud but had not been tested yet.  She also thought she and Bill might have it being little people and they joked about a family sleep study.

 

This is another reason why Will's weight is important.  Extra weight is carried around the neck in addition to the organs in his mid section.  He had surgery to insert ear tubes to drain the fluid for his hearing and to remove his tonsils to assist with his breathing.  

 

The last time I saw them packed for a trip Will had his CPAP packed and I saw it beside his bed in a hotel.  I would know the apparatus anywhere!  So his medical issues have been addressed which now makes his weight something to focus on because that is something the Kleins can control to reduce either his oxygen requirements and/or reduce or eliminate the CPAP altogether.  

 

It would be great if we got an update on the success of his surgery for not only his hearing but for his apnea.  That would be educational!  

Edited by Foghorn Leghorn
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I have sleep apnea and I have it in the US where coverage varies. The actual sleep study in my case was 4000, the machine was 1150. I actually paid 1000 out of pocket (my deductible)  and my resupply is usually out of pocket since I rarely reach my deductible. Odds are that the Kleins met their deductible but the actual point is that Will is getting treatment for a health condition that he wasn't receiving care for while in his wonderful foster care.

 

I mean, do people really think Will was getting better care as a foster child in China? I mean correct me if I am wrong - the impression I am getting is that people think Will would have been better off being left in a foster home in China, and even though I greatly dislike children being on reality shows (frankly I liked the show a lot more when it was without kids), even if Will and Zoey were being as harshly exploited as the Gosselin sextuplets, I still think that's a better life than no parents, no family, a childhood in foster homes or orphanages in third world countries not known for being particularly caring towards people with disabilities?

 

Is that the argument? that the kids were better off not being adopted?

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The Little Couple was never billed as a show about virtue or perfection or a couple on a mission to “save” children as a humanitarian gesture. This particular husband and wife have only said that they want to show a glimpse of how they are trying to build a happy life and family together as they deal with personal challenges and successes along the way. The show struck a chord with a lot of viewers eager to enjoy a wholesome, family-friendly option to some of the unsavory television offerings these days as well as a respite from the worrying and gruesome images bombarding their senses in daily news reports.

 

A valid point can be made about the unsuitability of having children participate in reality programs. But I would expect that those who hold that viewpoint would level that criticism at every reality show family, small stature or otherwise, and not just the Arnold-Kleins.

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If you want to be an example to others or be a source of inspiration to others, you sign up on a hospital-related website or in this case Little People of America or Walking with Giants. If you sign with TLC, one can expect that they will have to open their lives to audiences worldwide and will be under public scrutiny and answer to TLC. The Kleins had an idea of what they signed up for but it is possible that the reality is even more intense than they guessed.

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If you want to be an example to others or be a source of inspiration to others, you sign up on a hospital-related website or in this case Little People of America or Walking with Giants. If you sign with TLC, one can expect that they will have to open their lives to audiences worldwide and will be under public scrutiny and answer to TLC. The Kleins had an idea of what they signed up for but it is possible that the reality is even more intense than they guessed.

 

I agree 100%. I believe both Bill and Jen were aware of what they were getting into - at the beginning. But they did not have children at that time. The sea-change came with the adoption of the kids, when public interest was ramped up ten-fold. I'm guessing the extent of the interest they now face is really more than they truly want. They say they'll be back in the Spring but I'm hoping that will be it. I'll be disappointed if they're still filming once Zoey turns 4 in September. I do not for one minute believe they adopted the kids specifically to beef up interest and increase viewing audience.

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Selling your life for money is difficult to justify as noble.  It can be understandable, but I can't think of a circumstance that makes it noble.  I like Jen and Bill which is something I can only say for a couple of other families or groups on TLC.  That doesn't mean I find them noble or perfect, just likable.  

 

I don't agree with putting children on reality shows for various reasons.  I think the act of having cameras there changes actual reality in ways that are not good.  I do think that it can be bad in varying degrees and made much more damaging for some than others.  The Kleins probably fall on the less damaging end of the scale while someone like Kate Gosselin is on the other end of the scale.  

 

I've had some friends appear on TLC reality shows.  They would never do it again.  What TLC told them and sold them upfront was very different from what resulted.  TLC and their filming company representatives are excellent salesmen.  I have some sympathy for people who are taken in by them.  It's very easy to become starry eyed when you hear their spiel.  

Edited by Absolom
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I think the children are better off being adopted. I also think that if Bill and Jen were truly pillars of virtue, they would not have put the children on TV the minute they adopted them. I'm not sure, but I think that even if they were contractually obligated to continue with the show, they could have continued without the children. Bill and Jen could have finished up the contract, without exploiting their newly adopted kids.

 

This would be very interesting to know. Were Bill and Jen contractually-obligated to include the children after their adoptions? If yes, well then, that's pretty much it, and we have what we have today.  But if not, I'd have to agree that they really can't be thinking of the children's best interests - above everything else - when they continue filming with them. But I also believe they did not really quite realize the extent of the interest that Will and Zoey would create. It's my own guess that they're backing away from the show, preparing to end it - whatever. But that could just be wishful thinking on my part.

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If you want to be an example to others or be a source of inspiration to others, you sign up on a hospital-related website or in this case Little People of America or Walking with Giants.

 

Or, you could just become a neonatologist little person in charge of a hospital's SIMS unit, for a starter.

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They cannot possibly use those cars at the house and I doubt they have been used since.

 

Why can't they use the cars at the house? My niece had one when she was 4 or 5 and she would drive it around the block and in the nearby school parking lot. 

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I actually think it was great they showed the adoptions.  It would have been nice if they would have focused more on how long it took, what troubles they had, because usually there are A LOT.   My cousin and her husband adopted two kids and it took almost 2 years, they go through a lot of struggles still now (the kids have been home since october) and I asked my cousin if she watched this show because I think it would help them feel that they are not alone (like the part about Zoey not bonding with Bill for 6 months). 

A lot of people don't understand all the issues you go through when going through with an adoption.


Why can't they use the cars at the house? My niece had one when she was 4 or 5 and she would drive it around the block and in the nearby school parking lot. 

 

my nephews had a 'harley' and they rode that thing in a loop around the house and that yard was TINY lol 


Because Will would drive his into the street and no one would be able to stop him.

well luckily for will - he'll be able to fit in it a lot longer than a standard child so once he can listen to instructions better he'll maybe get more use out of it.  

And they have a fenced in driveway which is plenty big to drive it around. 

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If that was the case then they wouldnt have gone to the trouble of taking the kids and the toy cars to the church parking lot to begin with.

That was the first time they took the kids out in them and the first time the kids saw them. They made it an event and probably wanted to make sure everything was safe before the kids used them regularly. 

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If that was the case then they wouldnt have gone to the trouble of taking the kids and the toy cars to the church parking lot to begin with.

 

It's probably easier to learn to drive them in a big parking lot but once they get it figured out their driveway and yard won't be an issue. 

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It's probably easier to learn to drive them in a big parking lot but once they get it figured out their driveway and yard won't be an issue. 

 

They still had to put out pylons I noticed.  The cars are quite large and they couldn't travel very far in the small gated parking space in front of the garage.  Outside the gate they would be on the street or into a fire hydrant very quickly or destroy Bill's grass he talked about the animal farm hurting for Zoey's birthday.

 

Zoey had zero interest and was wanting out at the end anyway!  LOL  

Edited by Foghorn Leghorn
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They still had to put out pylons I noticed.  The cars are quite large and they couldn't travel very far in the small gated parking space in front of the garage.  Outside the gate they would be on the street or into a fire hydrant very quickly or destroy Bill's grass he talked about the animal farm hurting for Zoey's birthday.

 

Zoey had zero interest and was wanting out at the end anyway!  LOL  

 

yea my nephew got the 'harley' when he was about zoey's age and it kept his interest for all of like 5 min lol

It wasn't until his younger brother was about 4ish and it got a lot of use!

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The whole church parking lot scene could not of been a family moment without the help of the whole crew and a truck or van.

        I also noticed at the hayride that it must of been a major production too because their car was surrounded by pylons for what reason I don't know.

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Exactly. And then there is no reason to sign up with TLC and expose your family to the world.

If they were not on TV, who would know of Jen's accomplishment outside of a small circle of people.  This way millions (or at least 2 million) people know what a little person accomplished.

I don't think Bill and Jen are paragons of virtue, but I also don't think either one of them would do anything to harm their kids.  I also think the have enough resources available to them to make sure Will and Zoey have everything they need.  

This is not a normal family.  Will and Zoey are not normal kids.  No matter their circumstances, rich or poor, on TV or not, this family and those kids are going to get a lot of attention, most of it negative.  Bill and Jen are uniquely qualified to prepare their kids for how to deal with their reality long after the TLC cameras are gone. 

Edited by xldb2004
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In my personal opinion, being on TV does hurt kids, so Bill and Jen are hurting their children. What's more important to the Kleins? Is it more important that people know about Jen's accomplishments, or should Will and Zoey come first? I'm not even sure that one has to be exclusive of the other. Could they have showed just Bill and Jen without showing the children? The only problem with that was that they wouldn't have enough ratings to stay on the air.

We have a difference of opinion. I agree in some cases being on a reality tv show is bad for kids, but I am not prepared to say in all cases that is true. There are very few absolutes.  I think it can be handled responsibly.  IMHO Kate Gosslins' kids would be a mess regardless cause Kate is a hot mess.Guess we will have to ask Will and Zoey in 20 years.

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If they were not on TV, who would know of Jen's accomplishment outside of a small circle of people.  This way millions (or at least 2 million) people know what a little person accomplished.

 

 

And I wonder just how a little person accomplished the practical training to become a doctor.  I have no doubt about her ability to learn theory, study and pass exams.  It is the practical side of working with adults of all sizes that boggles my mind unless she was excused from it because of her size and her ultimate intention to work on preemies.  

 

However her follow up training includes working on full sized adults.  I watched an episode from 2009/2010 and she was part of a group of doctors performing simulations.  Jen's background voice was focused on that step stool!  "Is there a step stool over there?" or "I need my step stool!"  During simulation I get shortcuts and someone helping her out but in the hospital isn't everyone busy with a job of their own.   Obviously the step stool must be considered to be a sterile instrument too otherwise she nor anyone could touch it to move it for her without resterilizing themselves.  I also noticed in the recent CPR training episode she said she couldn't do the physical component of the course because she worked on preemies.  Does this mean she couldn't even work on her own children?

 

I have a feeling she is exclusive to simulation training and/or spokesperson role with TCH now based on her tweets and "twavels!"

Edited by Foghorn Leghorn
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I do not know a lot about TLC contracts and how they work. However, i went to the TLC website and searched on TLC casting calls. There is an area for TLC realityTV wannabes to submit to the Discovery Channel why THEY should be the NEXT REALITY TV STAR. One has to fill out a lot of information, sign many waivers, submit a video which one loses control over once it is sent in to the Discovery Channel. In addition, you have to get approvals from your workplace to film there. They made very deliberate choices to be on Reality TV and im sure it was pitched to Jen's hospital workplace that they would get a lot of publicity for minimal film footage. And good for Jen but who knows, maybe the hospital promoted her to this position to serve their own purposes too. Anyway, if you really want to make a difference and inspire people, you do not have to do it on Reality TV.  Reality TV is entertainment and not a documentary chronicling someone's rise in their career.despite challenges of any kind.  I would LOVE to see the casting call video Jen and Bill submitted.

Edited by Snow8585
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I would add that if Jen and Bill were just resting on their laurels, accomplished careers, then they would not have a personal website that pitches them to be the face of a brand, speaking engagements and other offerings. 

            Foghorn,

   You bring up an interesting point. I think of all the rotations a resident has to do. How on earth did Jen do most of them? 

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I would add that if Jen and Bill were just resting on their laurels, accomplished careers, then they would not have a personal website that pitches them to be the face of a brand, speaking engagements and other offerings. 

            Foghorn,

   You bring up an interesting point. I think of all the rotations a resident has to do. How on earth did Jen do most of them? 

My response to Bill and Jen being accomplished was a poster saying if they wanted to be an example to people they would not be on a reality show.  Someone pointed out that what Jen has accomplished is example enough.  It quietly speaks for itself.

 

Charles Krauthammer,Fox News contributor is a paraplegic. During his first year of medical school in the 1970's, Charles Krauthammer was paralyzed when he hit his head at the bottom of a pool when diving off of the diving board. He has been confined to a wheelchair since then. He has limited movement in his arms and hands, but no movement in his legs. He went of to complete Harvard Medical School, earning his M.D. in 1975. From 1975 to 1978, Krauthammer was a resident and then a chief resident in psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1984, he became board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. During his time as chief resident, he discovered a variant of manic depressive disease which he called "Secondary Mania".[8] He also co-authored the path-finding study on the epidemiology of mania.  He managed to do his rotations despite his disability. Obviously we need more reality shows with successful people with disabilities.  Glad Will and Zoey are growing up in an environment where they are taught they have no limits no matter what naysayers say.   

 

Edited by xldb2004
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I am getting pretty upset seeing posts suggesting that Jen was given a "free pass" because of her challenges, or suggesting she couldn't do her rotations. She did, and from all we have seen she's very good at her job. As someone with physical challenges myself, it bothers me so much to think that someone would think my accomplishments are because I didn't have to work as hard or got away with things somehow. I can pretty much guarantee she had to work as hard if not harder, and she probably uses the bare minimum in terms of accommodations to allow her to do her job. I admire her for sharing her accomplishments with her kids, patients, and viewers.

 

ETA: oops sorry Wrestlesflamingos, I have been thinking about this for hours and didn't read the whole thread first so I posted before I saw yours. I'm sorry you're dealing with difficult issues, and I'm sending my thoughts your way.

Edited by NikSac
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I don't think we need more reality shows with successful people with disabilities, if the public is going to learn anything. In my opinion, just being on a reality show undermines people's credibility. People who truly want to inform people, would pick a more respectable way to tell their story. Reality shows stage and script too much to be taken seriously.

I'm sure Jen worked very hard to become a doctor. It's a shame she cheapened her achievement by getting involved with the TL C network via a reality show. She should have written a book or did a documentary or picked some other way to show us what she accomplished.

I don’t think Jen has “cheapened” her professional accomplishments by being on a reality show, and obviously Texas Children’s Hospital agrees. As a result of her visibility as a TLC reality show star she is in a unique position to advocate for important causes.  As an example, she went to DC to advocate for legislation that would create pediatric centers of excellence to care for medically complex children on Medicare and this was televised on the show. Look at the many children she will potentially help because of her visibility.  Writing a book or making a documentary may be more palatable to intellectual elites, but let’s be real this is 2015 and no one is rushing to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book on the achievements of anybody or to go see a documentary unless it has lots of special effects or sex.  Good bad or indifferent people do watch reality TV.  All I am saying is the Arnold-Klein’s seem to be using their 15 minutes of fame for good instead of evil.

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As a result of her visibility as a TLC reality show star she is in a unique position to advocate for important causes.  As an example, she went to DC to advocate for legislation that would create pediatric centers of excellence to care for medically complex children on Medicare and this was televised on the show. Look at the many children she will potentially help because of her visibility.  .

Her advocacy for legislation was an epic failure. The bill HR 4930 went to committee and died there. No votes no nothing. However, courtesy of Texas Childrens Hospital, where Jen works, they had a fun time in DC. So the perks were quite good for Jen.

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Her advocacy for legislation was an epic failure. The bill HR 4930 went to committee and died there. No votes no nothing. However, courtesy of Texas Childrens Hospital, where Jen works, they had a fun time in DC. So the perks were quite good for Jen.

 

I would wager a lot of bills die in committee. She and TCH couldn't have known this one was going to. As of December of last year, 115 co-sponsors have signed on to it. I confess I don't know enough about politics to know if that matters but interestingly enough it has quite a bit of bi-partisan support. 

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Actually many organizations and lobbyists do know if their bill will go nowhere but they submit them anyway. Publicity. They probably knew it too. But it was a good storyline for TLC and Texas Childrens Hospital, where Jen works.

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Actually many organizations and lobbyists do know if their bill will go nowhere but they submit them anyway. Publicity. They probably knew it too. But it was a good storyline for TLC and Texas Childrens Hospital, where Jen works.

 

So would that bill have allowed Bill and Jen to to use the specialists of their choosing in other states besides Texas like Delaware and costs covered by the taxpayers? 

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I wonder how much Jen's coworkers like her. The ringing the bell ceremony took place at TCH. I would have thought that everyone she worked with would show up to cheer her on. There were only about 5 people there.

From another poster on another thread:

Hi everyone! I was born and raised in Texas, but I currently live in Florida, and am in my last year of nursing school.

My small claim to fame is that I always loved the show and was delighted to find out I worked for the same hospital system as Jenn (although I did not work at the same hospital as her, she worked at the main hospital and I worked at a pediatricians office that is a subsidiary of TCH). I always joked that I was going to use inter office email to reach her, always looked for reason to have to go to main campus, and grilled patients as to whether it not they ever saw her at the hospital (one patient was actually featured, but it was because they went to Rocky and Maggie's not while they were at the hospital) (disclaimer I am kidding, I did not actually grill patients about jenns whereabouts). My moment came once I had to go to the main campus for a training when the hospital system went to computer charting, the computer lab happens to be located in close proximity to the simulation center, my heart was so happy, I knew this was the best chance of seeing her. Low and behold, during a restroom break I glanced through the glass door or the simulation center, and saw a 3ft 2in figure talking to a few other doctors... Unfortunately professional courtesy, the fact that I didn't want to lose my job, and the fact that she was talking to other doctors prevented me from approaching her... But some day once I move back I will meet her :).

MOLLYBYGOLLY, WALNUTQUEEN, HOWIVEADDICT AND 3 OTHERS LIKE THIS

4leafclover

May 28 2014. 1:23 pm

Good luck in nursing school--when it seems impossible just remember, you can do it!  And I do hope you get to meet Jen someday --- then come back here and tell us alllllll about her! 

walnutqueen

May 28 2014. 2:34 pm

It's a small world, leighroda.  :-)

Your mission, should you choose to accept it ...  kidding!  But if you ever did happen to hear anything about how the folks in your profession and in that particular medical group feel about a certain diminutive physician ... come sit by me and spill some tea!  Meanwhile, good luck with your studies, and rest assured I'd be interested in getting to know more about you even if you didn't have an almost connection to an almost famous person.  {I am not a shallow stalker, I am not a shallow stalker I am not a shallow stalker...}

LILLYBEE AND CHALBY LIKE THIS

leighroda

May 28 2014. 3:33 pm

Lol thanks :) unfortunately I no longer work for Texas children's, I moved to Florida almost 2 yrs ago to live with my sister while I'm in nursing school (to cut down on bills). However once I have my RN, I plan to work in pediatrics, and I am not above returning to TCH and working in maybe the ohhhhh neonatal icu. The only thing I ever heard about her was "she's nice" which is true, but I need more.

Edited by xldb2004
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I picked this up from a old thread in this forum. The poster used to work at TCH.  I obviously have too much time on my hands but I remembered a poster saying she was nice.  I copied the series of posts

. It just seems to me that people are trying to find any reason to dislike Jen. People dogged her about her laugh, OCD, she keeps Bill away from the family, doesn't care for Will, should dress Bill better, and now have question her professional credentials.  I realize if you don't like her, hey you don't like her.   I don't know the woman (wish I did, I admire what I see) but it seems to me she's being picked on for no reason and my natural reaction is to defend. And yes, born raised and lived my whole life in Southern California.  

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I wonder how much Jen's coworkers like her. The ringing the bell ceremony took place at TCH. I would have thought that everyone she worked with would show up to cheer her on. There were only about 5 people there.

I'm sure Jen is no different than any of the rest of us. There's always people who like us, people who are neutral and people who don't.

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It seems the poster quoted above simply asked some of the hospital personnel about Jen and was told that she was a nice person.  The poster didn’t submit a questionnaire requiring detailed information about Jen’s job performance, staff interactions and personality traits.  I would hope that if someone casually asked my co-workers about me, they would describe me as being nice. Because, nope, that wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all, lol.

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