Whether the St. Louis Blues bring it all home this year or not, Abdulla Yuldashev already feels like he won. Because he did! But let’s start at the beginning…
Abdulla Yuldashev has been with LSS at Laclede Groves since 2009. He started as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), drawing upon his extensive experience from his time working as a pediatrician in the Ministry of Health in Uzbekistan. In 2013, Yuldashev became an RN.
“Even though I am an RN, all my residents call me ‘doctor,’” adds Yuldashev. “Helping the residents and talking with them is very interesting and it’s an honor. They even helped me learn English!”
A few months ago, he bought a raffle ticket for the Blues for Kids Home raffle. Funds raised from the raffle goes to supporting St. Louis schools and providing additional educational opportunities for underserved children and the winner of the raffle wins a new home. Knowing that the money raised from ticket sales was going to help kids in the area, Yuldashev, who was certain he wouldn’t win, bought the ticket to support a good cause. He tucked his ticket away and forgot about it.
One evening he saw he missed a call from the Vice President of the St. Louis Blues. The voicemail didn’t say anything about the drawing so Yuldashev was hopeful he won tickets to a much anticipated playoff game. It wasn’t until later that he remembered he entered in the drawing. When he got to a computer, Yuldashev checked his ticket number and learned he had won the new home! However, he still didn’t believe it until he spoke with the Blues organization the next day.
“I did not believe that I won, because something like this has never happened to me,” says Yuldashev. “When I returned home from work at midnight, I woke up my wife and told her. I couldn’t sleep all night.”
Yuldashev’s coworkers praise him as an ideal coworker and a model employee.
“Abdulla is a wonderful attribute to our team by being one of our go-to nurses and someone we can depend on to help us in our LSS mission,” says Jill Hauler, Nurse Manager at Laclede Groves. “He is very reliable and always has a cheerful disposition. He is a charitable person and has everyone’s best interest in mind, including co-workers, residents, and the residents’ families. Overall, the house could not have been won by a more deserving person!”
Thank you to Abdulla Yuldashev for all you do for LSS and our residents and congratulations on your new home!