June 23. Courtney Guice felt she had to do something to support the frontline healthcare workers risking their health and families to care for COVID-19 patients.
So the aspiring Division 1 tennis player put her mind and heart to the task and formed Meals for Medical Angels, her effort to provide ICU nurses and doctors with a water bottle filled with a restaurant giftcard for a lunch, chocolate and a note of encouragement and thanks.
“The doctors and nurses are selfless as they continue to help others,” Courtney, 16, said. She will begin her junior year at Laurel Springs School, an online private school that accommodates her tennis training with Robbie Mudge at Altitude Tennis Academy in Huntersville. That schedule includes six hours daily during the school year and four hours during the summer.
So far, young Guice (rhymes with Nice) has raised about $1,800 for Meals for Medical Angels and donated 275 water bottle sets to area hospitals. She is on her second round of fundraising, including through a GoFundMe page, and hopes to donate another 200 bottles to the medical field during this spike in coronavirus cases. After that, she may branch out into helping other fields.
Courtney is the daughter of Dr. Scott and Michelle Guice, who live on Double Eagle Drive in The Peninsula. Scott Guice is a general dentist and owner of Lake Norman Dentistry in Huntersville. Courtney’s sister, Caroline Guice, 21, will be a senior at UNC Chapel Hill.
Courtney is entertaining two career goals: the medical field or national security. Courtney’s top college choices are Virginia Tech, College of Charleston or Bucknell University.
For Courtney, giving back to healthcare workers is also personal: After being diagnosed with Lyme disease as a pre-teen, she was forced to sit on the sidelines for two years.
“Abruptly losing your health makes you appreciate the little things that we all take for granted. I’ve been blessed to have amazing doctors that could treat the disease, so I can once again play tennis,” she says.
She will be tested in about six weeks to confirm she is clear of Lyme disease.
How to help
GoFundMe: gf.me/u/xwk2d5
Website: https://meals4medicalangels.godaddysites.com/
