STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) – There is a loving soul in Stillwater who sees it as her mission to help those who are in the twilight of their lives and battling the fog of dementia.

Debbie Brewer works in the memory care unit at Legacy Village of Stillwater.

“God picked it for me, ” Debbie says. “It’s just part of ministry to me.”

Whether it’s getting them up out of the chairs to dance “The Twist” or playing board games, Debbie makes sure she gives the residents a chance to relive part of their youth and enjoy life. And while helping them, it helps her deal with the challenges in her own life.

“It makes me feel important,” Debbie says. “I lost my husband in December. But I can come here, and it makes me feel important. Everybody needs to feel like they are needed.”

For 20 years, Debbie has been a caretaker and been a shoulder to lean on and someone who will listen to memory care patients talk about their cares concerns.

“She’s just a nice person,” one of the patients told us. “And I like her a lot!”

For all she does, Debbie was nominated for First Fidelity Bank’s Pay It Forward Award by her supervisor Kristi Lester.

When surprising Debbie with the $400 from First Fidelity’s Brad Jayroe, Kristi told Debbie, “Not only do you care for residents here, you care for staff, you care for families, but this last year has been tough on you personally,” Kristi reflected. “Losing your husband and having family members with health issues, and it’s been a tough pandemic year, too. But you never quit.”

Debbie was congratulated by two dozen of her sister and brother caretakers because they know she deserves it.

Debbie Brewer…paying it forward with love and devotion to those who need it most.