Former Nurse Volunteers “for the Payback”

Dona Page recalls the day she helped a father and daughter check out of Shriners Hospital for Children in the Texas Medical Center. Neither dad nor daughter spoke English. The father handed Dona an envelope that read, in Spanish, “God bless this country, God bless this hospital.”

This is why Page volunteers at Shriners Hospital – for the payback.

After more than 30 years of caring for others as a registered nurse, she is now happily retired. But her experience and devotion to helping others brought her back to where she started - Houston’s Shriners Hospital for Children, which has selected Page as its Volunteer of the Year.

Page’s first visit to Shriners Hospital was part of a pediatric orthopedic rotation before she became a registered nurse. She immediately developed a connection with the patients and an appreciation for the kid-friendly environment.

“Caring for the children at Shriners Hospital was a delightful experience,” she said. “My husband used to say ‘We need to get Dona out of the Shrine before she tries to take all the kids home.’”

After the rotation, Page served as a nurse for the Harris County Health Department, Houston International Hospital and the Pasadena Independent School District. Page’s career may have taken her to other places but there was always a special place in her heart for Shriners Hospital. Her husband, Martin, belongs to the Shriners fraternity, and together they became involved in projects to benefit the hospital’s patients.

Retirement has been a transition from paid work to unpaid work for Page, who is an important part of Shriners Hospital’s fifth floor volunteer desk. She registers patients and visitors when they enter the hospital and logs them out when they leave. Page also sells hospital souvenirs and administers patient questionnaires to determine how satisfied patients are with the outcome of their treatments. In the past, Page also has worked on holiday decorations and fund raising.

“Dona goes above and beyond to help Shriners Hospital meet its mission of helping patients become productive members of the community,” said Ed Homrighausen, director of volunteers. “Her familiarity with the medical environment makes her especially valuable because she knows how the system works.”

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