“Be aware of the little things that touch you throughout the day, and thank God for them.”
Janet Petrites is the sixth of eleven children in Merrillville, Indiana. She has fourteen nieces and nephews and nine great-nieces and nephews – all of whom have been a particular part of her life.
Janet spent over twenty years working as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and feels that the children there “showed (me) how to accept suffering and still have a smile for others.”
Caring for others comes naturally to Janet. Upon her retirement, she returned home to care for her mother and then her ailing uncle. She is always ready to care for anyone in need and is helping her brother and sister-in-law. Even while undergoing her treatment, she devoted more time to her siblings and provided support and attention to friends in need.
Janet is active in numerous charitable organizations, including St. Matthias Church, SS. Peter and Paul Church and Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine. She advises others to “Trust in God totally and ask …Him to guide you in choosing the best treatment plan… and to help you live one day at a time.”
Janet Petrites is a 17-year breast cancer survivor who was proudly nominated by her friend Marjorie Simunic.