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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Knitter of the Month: Verena Christen Verena Christen, 89, is of the rare breed of people who are completely selfless and genuinely kind. She has devoted her professional life to helping and caring for others as a nurse, and continues to aid others at the Redwoods well into her retirement. Verena was born in a small town in Switzerland called Rohrbach. The oldest of four, Verena remembers her childhood fondly, despite the fact that her family did not have much. Her father was a teacher, and Verena lit up as she remembered him and his colleagues, who would talk about politics and culture while they walked her home from school, which she says gave her an interest for world-affairs, a subject she continues to be passionate about to this day. At 19, at the start of World War II, Verena began her training in nursing. She lived and worked in England, Geneva, India and Canada, before finally settling in San Francisco, where she spent most of her career at UCSF. She remembers many of the patients she helped, their stories, their ailments and even their names. There were many medical discoveries and advancements during her career, and it brought Verena great joy to see how the various transplants, treatments, and surgeries changed these patients lives. Verena says she didn't join Sarah's knitting group because she was particularly passionate about knitting, but rather because she loved the design and innovation of the bags. Verena loves textiles, and she was enthralled by Sarah's bags the first time she saw them, and so she joined the knitting group so she could take part in their artistry. In her free time, Verena loves to sew and paint beautful silk scarves, and she has quite a stunning collection of them in her apartment at the Redwoods. |
