Great Comebacks® honors Chuck Wielgus, Heidi Cross, RN
The Great Comebacks® Program has named Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director of USA Swimming, its 2011 National Award Winner, and has given Heidi H. Cross, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, its Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nurse Great Comebacks® Award. Both presentations were made at the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses (WOCN) Society’s 43rd Annual Conference in New Orleans.
Wielgus, of Colorado Springs, CO, was honored for his work in raising awareness and in helping others who need ostomy surgery. He has remained a dynamic force in U.S. swimming after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer and having ostomy surgery. After the surgery, he led the U.S. team at the Beijing Games in 2008. He is also Chief Executive Officer of the USA Swimming Foundation.
“Great Comebacks® is proud to recognize Chuck for his strength of heart and mind, and for helping us change misperceptions and build greater awareness of living life with an ostomy,” said Rolf Benirschke, Founder and Chairman, Great Comebacks® Program.
Cross, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and WOC nurse at Upstate University Hospital, Syracuse, NY, was recognized for her exceptional care to patients as a WOC nurse, volunteer with an ostomy clinic, and founder of an ostomy support group.
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Heidi Cross, RN (right), was recognized for her exceptional care to patients, including Great Comebacks® award winner Linda Pasto, RN (left).
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“Cross is a wonderful example of a nurse who regularly goes the extra mile to help patients achieve a full recovery and live a healthier life,” said Phyllis Bonham, PhD, MSN, RN, CWOCN, DPNAP, FAAN and President, WOCN Society. “She is a great example of the dedication that so many nurses in our field demonstrate every day.”
“By sharing their stories, Great Comebacks® recipients provide support and encouragement to millions of patients affected by these debilitating conditions or facing ostomy surgery,” says Benirschke, former San Diego Chargers place-kicker and ulcerative colitis patient.
The awards are sponsored by ConvaTec, a world-leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, in partnership with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCFA), the United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc. (UOAA), the Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society (IDEAS), WOCN, and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS). 
