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NYC hospital worker Marie Toussaint, no hesitation to retturn $12G find

BY JULIAN KESNER

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, October 20th, 2006

If you found an envelope stuffed with $100 bills stashed behind a hospital bed pillow, what would you do?

For Marie Toussaint, there was never any hesitation - the housekeeper at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan grabbed the cash and immediately turned it in.

"The envelope fell on the floor, and I took it outside right away because we had another patient in the room," said Toussaint, 50, of East Flatbush.

"I didn't look in it - I just saw it was big money, and walked outside to give it to the nurse in charge."

Toussaint was cleaning the room around 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 after a patient had been discharged when the 10-year employee came across the envelope.

Four people, including Toussaint, counted the money, which totaled $12,450.

"They were in shock," she said.

The money was given to the hospital's admitting department for safekeeping.

A family member of the patient called later, confirmed the amount and then collected it.

Attempts to reach the patient, described only as an elderly woman, or her family were unsuccessful.

Helen Stack, St. Luke's environmental services director, said she's proud but hardly surprised by her employee's action.

"She's a great person," Stack said. "She's very honest and a hardworking lady."

Stack plans to honor Toussaint at a department Thanksgiving party Nov. 17.

"She didn't want all this glory, to tell the truth," Stack added. "I just heard about it this week - and I didn't hear it from her."

Toussaint, who moved to the city from Haiti in 1974, said her husband of 30 years and two daughters are enough of a reward.

"I came here when I was really young, and I worked really hard to have everything in my life," she said. "I've always got a reward here.

"I don't need money - I've got everything God has given to me."