Susan Bryant
volunteer at the Cox South Gift Shop
When Susan Bryant left her job as a bank teller, she began looking for a part-time opportunity where she could remain active in the community. She saw an ad in a local paper seeking volunteers at the Cox South Gift Shop.
“I thought that would be perfect,” she says. That was five years ago; she’s been working in the gift shop ever since. “It’s been so nice; it’s just what I needed to fill in that spot.”
She says she likes the fast pace of the gift shop and the chance to interact with patient families.
“You meet all the people who are visiting patients and you get to feel like you’re a bright spot in their day,” Bryant says. “A lot of people just need someone to talk to and I enjoy being there for them.”
She says she had never really considered volunteering before she saw that original ad. Now, she recommends it to anyone who has a few hours a week to spare.
“The customers appreciate that you’re there and I really enjoy the people I volunteer with,” Bryant says. “It’s a great place to be, around caring, nice people who want to be there and who want to help.”
In addition to working in the gift shop, Bryant also serves on the Auxiliary Board.
“You’re doing something to help the community a little bit and that feels good,” she says. “We affect people’s lives just by being something positive.”
Jacquetta Lyman,
volunteer in Urgent Care
Jacquetta Lyman’s mother was a nurse for 20 years. But it wasn’t until her mother became ill with dementia and Jacquetta and her sister began taking care of her that Jacquetta decided she wanted to work in health care.
“When she first got sick, it was tough to accept,” Lyman says. “I had to really find the patience to take care of her. I would want somebody to treat me with the same dignity.”
After her mother passed away, Lyman went back to school to study to be a medical assistant. She completed her externship and now, as a new graduate, she’s volunteering in the Urgent Care at the Turner Center.
“The experience has been good,” she says. “I feel like I’m giving back to the community and I really enjoy that.”
She spends her mornings working at the front desk and helping patients into the facility. Recently, she’s also been assisting in the gift shop, where she enjoys being a shoulder for patient families to lean on.
“If I’m able to listen to someone’s problems when they come in and I can be someone they can talk to, that’s one of my favorite parts,” she says.
She’s planning to pursue certification as a medical assistant and eventually earn her master’s.
“I haven’t decided where I’ll specialize, I just know I want to work with patients,” she says. That’s a desire that is reinforced working with patients in the Urgent Care.
“Volunteering makes you feel good that you’re doing something to help somebody else,” she says. “I love what I do; it’s a wonderful thing.”
Brian DeSpain
volunteer in Pastoral Care and at Hulston Cancer Center
Brian DeSpain (seen above with patient Marian Walsh during his morning rounds) spent 28 years working in heavy maintenance for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway until a back injury ended his career a little more than 10 years ago. He left with disability, but he quickly got restless and needed something to do with his time. He checked into volunteering at Cox and found out about an opening in Pastoral Care.
“I feel like the Lord pointed me in this direction,” he says. “I had gone through a lot and I wanted to give something back.”
Over the last decade, he’s spent his volunteer days rounding with patients throughout the hospital. He asks if they need anything from Pastoral Care, such as a message passed on to their church or a meeting with a chaplain. Often, though, he simply offers a warm greeting and a willing ear for those who need it.
“The patients are so glad we come to see them,” he says. “They always thank us for what we do.”
He says he enjoys the people he works with and he’s constantly thankful for the relationships he’s developed while volunteering.
“Everyone I work with is so friendly,” he says. “If you have the chance to give of your time, this is a wonderful place to do that.”
When he’s not seeing 60-90 patients a day with Pastoral Care, DeSpain can often be found at the lobby desk in Hulston Cancer Center, where his wife, Sandra, works in Radiation Oncology. He greets patients, helps with wheelchairs and does everything he can to make people feel welcome.
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people,” he says. “I always give the patients and visitors a big smile. That’s an important thing, just to be friendly and show them that you care.”
Want to help?
Do you know someone who would make a good volunteer? To learn more about opportunities to make an impact in the community by volunteering at CoxHealth, call 269-4169, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.
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