A Shoulder to Lean On
Texas Children's Hospital's Volunteer of the Year

For the young mother with a child hospitalized in a far-away land called Texas, the ministrations of Texas Children's Hospital volunteer Juanita Sanchez are profoundly comforting. During this, the "International Year of the Volunteer," Sanchez represents the ideal example of a caring volunteer.

As a family relations volunteer, Sanchez is a source of friendship, comfort, support and useful information to many of the hospital's Spanish-speaking patients, especially those from other countries, who often are overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Houston and the Texas Medical Center.

International patients generally are gravely ill or are being treated for a complicated or rare disorder. Many come to Houston from their native lands for weeks or months, and Sanchez offers gentle guidance to families to help them negotiate the intricacies of living far from home. With a thoughtful word and a clasp of a mother's hands, Sanchez quickly endears herself to families, particularly those whose children are being diagnosed and treated for childhood cancers and blood disorders.

"Juanita has made an impact on several families, especially the family of a little girl named Sol," says Alma Thomas, patient representative. "Juanita has known Sol since she was first diagnosed with leukemia in 1994, and she makes a point to visit Sol every time she comes from Mexico for followup." Years have passed, and Thomas explains, "Now Sol has had a bone marrow transplant, and the family still asks for Juanita. They keep in very close touch."

Often it is the patient's parents, especially mothers, who rely on Sanchez for support. Sol's mother is a perfect example.

"When the mother was going through a rough time during Sol's diagnosis, Juanita provided support to her in the mother's language, Spanish," Thomas says. "Juanita talked with her often, offering her a shoulder to lean on."

Many families from far away stay at the Ronald McDonald House, an organization that Sanchez happily supports. She and her husband, Joseph, own several McDonald's restaurants in Houston, and the owner-operators throughout the community contribute $1 million annually to the Ronald McDonald Houses in Houston and in Galveston. It's a donation that Sanchez gladly makes, because every week she sees its value to the families in her care at the hospital. An affable and considerate woman, Sanchez sometimes joins patients' families in making dinner at the nearby Ronald McDonald House.

"Juanita is not just a volunteer. She is truly an example of someone who gives of herself without thinking about it," Thomas says. "She always comes in with a smile."

Patient representative Elizabeth McCullough describes that smile as "engaging and extremely contagious." More importantly, "Her mannerisms with our patients are those of a concerned `grandma,"' McCullough says.

That comes from experience. Sanchez has two adult sons and five young grandchildren. Her experience comes in handy when a young patient poses a tough question, such as the little boy who asked her, "What happens if the chemotherapy doesn't work?" Her understanding, kindly manner and cheerful personality are great assets at such moving moments.

"They're smart, those little ones," Sanchez says. "I have been with some children, some families, in good times and through bad times. We've shared many tears together."

Despite any sad moments that Sanchez may share with patients, McCullough says she is a volunteer who "is dependable and always looks forward to her rounds with her patients."

Perhaps that empathy stems from her own personal tragedy. Sanchez was badly injured in an auto accident just two weeks before her family was to move to Houston, and she was, in fact, transported directly from a Maryland hospital to one here.

"I saw all that suffering around me in the intensive care unit," she says. "I knew that I had to help others someday. It took a long time before I was ready to volunteer. I believed that I could deal better with children than with adults, so I chose to volunteer at Texas Children's."

Twice each week, Sanchez dons a smile and her bright red uniform jumper for the short trip to Texas Children's. Her kindness and compassion help patients and families feel more at home in the midst of the nation's largest pediatric hospital set on the campus of the Texas Medical Center.

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/04_01_01/page_02.html