Team Member Spotlight - Nikki Danko
Chuck’s Angels - Donna (left), Nikki (middle), Jackie (right)
We have a lot to be thankful for in Northern Ohio…
But there is one thing that most of us probably take for granted (until we travel somewhere that it may be rationed or is shut off entirely at our house). Yes, it makes up 60% of our body by weight, 73% of our brain and heart is composed of it, along with 83% of our lungs (according to Google). You guessed it, that precious commodity that falls from the sky and is stored in or on the earth… water!
Our area stays fairly moist and green, allowing farming and agriculture to be so successful for our local farmers, due in part to our moderate temperatures and the amazing water reserves of our Great Lakes. I’m always amazed going to Scottsdale for our yearly dental meetings. As you approach Phoenix, still several hundred miles out, it looks like the surface of the moon. Brown, dry, and fairly devoid of greenery until civilization is neared and golf courses appear. The sprinkling of the greens and fairways must produce a hefty bill!
If you truly want to appreciate water, you need to experience a drought in Africa. I’ve had the privilege of being involved in animal live capture and supplemental feeding due to draughts twice in my life in Africa. In 1992, Zimbabwe was already ten months into a draught situation, when I was invited to live capture and move several herd of zebra and wildebeests. We actually had to lift several of them up by their tails, two-three men per animal, as we moved them into waiting semis. The wildebeests seemed to know we were helping them; the zebra never got the message. They would kick and kick and many escaped before vets came in to tranquilize them.
In 2017 with my son in Namibia, already eight months without water when we got there, a few water holes still existed, but the earth was parched and cracked. Our mission was to spread alfalfa pellets around the remaining water holes, as a premium source of protein for the remaining animals. Watching animals in a drought condition is painful, but nature has equipped them with survival tactics that are most impressive to allow the strongest genetics to persevere for the continuation of the specie.
And no matter what the specie, never mess with motherhood if the chips are down. One of my favorite memories from Namibia was when my son and I were watching three young elephant bulls cut in front of a mother rhino and her calf. In one quick turn, the mother rhino stuck one in the gut and charged the other one head-on. At the last moment, the elephant (with a change of heart) turned and left with the third, who already had turned trunk and was leaving the area at a high rate of retreat. And the rhino calf (three months old, no horn yet) hopefully learned a life lesson to stay close to mom… if you plan to survive.
Our Great Lakes and subsequent river systems truly provide as much fun and recreation, as they are a matter of life and death for all flora and fauna in our area. So the next time you turn on the tap or open a bottle of water for a drink, consider how lucky you are that you didn’t have to walk five miles with a goat skin bag on your shoulder. Trust me, it’s no fun and gets old really quick!
Speaking of not taking essentials for granted (as in the case of water), I’ve got a staff member coming your way who I will always be thankful for…
Meet Nikki Danko
This week, it is my pleasure to showcase our fifth longest Team member at 15 years, Nikki Danko (front and center in the above photo). Nikki was born and raised in Sharon Center, Ohio, and graduated from Highland High School. She married the love of her life, Scott, and they have been blessed with three daughters - Rylee, Mya, and Kenzee. With that many females in the house, their dog Vegas has no chance to gain weight with all those private walks with Scott!
Nikki and her family love to vacation in Tennessee, yes in the same Smoky Mountain area that our receptionist Jacki visits. In fact, they like the same restaurant! Now that’s a close front desk. When asked what makes her happy, Nikki quickly remarked being outside in nature with my family. Camping and s’mores are the highlights of many Danko family weekends. After high school, Nikki went into the banking world and was a teller for First Merit when she decided to get her teeth straightened.
We had the pleasure of meeting and working with Nikki as a patient first. During her time in treatment, it became obvious that we were in need of another receptionist and financial coordinator. When you work on a person’s smile, you get to learn a lot about them as a person. And right from the start, I was very impressed with Nikki’s maturity and take-control spirit.
When asked if she was interested, she said I don’t know anything about teeth. I said teeth have nothing to do with the job. It’s heart and soul with a good work ethic that I’m looking for! Nikki said yes and the rest is history.
Nikki has been able to balance raising her daughters and helping our patients amazingly well, as she flips from full to part-time from year to year depending on her family’s needs. She can be found at the front desk scheduling, or at my desk working up financial treatment plans with a patient. Currently part-time at the office, Nikki also works remotely from home, going over financial contracts and organizing financial forms. She also single handedly runs the collection department with our outside companies.
Along with financial matters, Nikki does our advertising and shares in office promotion ideas and development. Her bubbly personality and contagious smile make her a natural for our office promotion department. I’m always being blamed for giving her too much to do, but she is an amazing team player who always gets it done!
When asked what she likes best about her job she said, “Oh that’s easy, my co-workers are my second family and I love being with them. The relationships that I continue to develop with our patients are truly some of life’s greatest gifts.”
- Dr. Pfister