So, when Nina and I first met Roz, we instantly loved her guts. Straight to the point, funny, efficient AND she had on a simple but gorgeous earth toned dress paired with a cute high bun, making her stylish too. We were at the children’s hospital getting a tour of the different volunteer programs and hers was the last program to check out. We were all getting to know each other a little and when I mentioned I grew up in Mexico, she burst into excitement, “We actually are in need of spanish speakers right now! That’s the first language of many of the families in the program.”
Nina and I have been volunteering with her ever since. It has been a little over a month now and Roz has easily become one of our role models.
She runs the Holidays from the Heart program at the Children's Hospital LA which connects sponsors with families that have a child who is currently in treatment. As you can imagine, there are many children in the hospital with very serious and tragic illnesses and their families go through a lot on a daily basis in order to emotionally and financially get through these intensely difficult times. The sponsors provide these families with gifts for the Holidays. Not just the child who is sick but every single person living under that roof. Our job as volunteers (at this stage) is to call the families, make sure to get everybody’s information including their accurate sizes and favorite colors as well as their individual wish lists. Sometimes the family consists of 9 people and sometimes it is just 2.
When i first started, I had been given a list of 4 families to contact with an urgency on one of them seeing as this family was a priority for the program. This was a family of two; a little girl of 6 and her stepfather. Hispanic, like myself and mainly spanish speaking, which is why i was assigned to them. Before i called, i read their file so that i was aware of their situation and could then help them as best i could. This little girl had a very rare illness and wasn’t expected to live to the holiday. Her mother had been diagnosed with another fatal disease and died earlier this year due to complications with her illness and her stepfather worked whenever he could in order to support the family’s needs. As i read, i could feel my heart swell and my eyes focus sharply on the words on the paper. I was nervous but eager to make the call and help this family.
When the stepfather answered, he was by his stepdaughters side at the hospital and was having an understandably hard time focusing on his answers given the situation, so he asked if i could wait a second while he asked his stepdaughter what she wanted. All of the sudden, i was on the phone with what seemed like the most enthusiastic little girl... “Can i have a doll?!” she said, with the sweetest most excited voice. “Absolutely, sweetheart! What else would you like?” i responded. “Mmmmmm, i would really like a bunny stuffed animal and a ball to play with too.” she then added. As she continued to tell me, i kept writing down her very cute, very modest little wish list. I was overwhelmed with joy as I reassured her that we were going to be able to give her what she wanted and quiet tears began running down my cheek, I couldn’t help it. When we finished, i asked her if i could speak to her father and asked him what he would like for Christmas. He said to write down whatever were the most common items on his list but politely asked if i could make sure to get what his daughter wanted. I reassured him with all of my heart that we were going to get every last thing she asked for and insisted on him taking a moment to think about something special for himself. He said he didn’t need it and instead took a moment to sincerely thank me for caring and for everything that we were doing.
As soon as i got off the phone, my eyes couldn’t keep it in any longer and i just balled. I realized the gravity of this man’s situation and that it still wasn’t over. My heart just went out to him and i wished i could have given him more. That’s when i also realized the positive, loving impact this program was having on all the people involved. Everyone was helping in every way that they could in order to bring some much needed relief to these families who were all going through such tough times.
This brings me back to Roz, the force behind it all. 500+ families, hundreds of sponsors and volunteers, countless unforgettable moments and even more cups of coffee. She is the kind of woman doing work i want to read about in magazines, hers is the face i want to see when i am in need of inspiration, and the Children's Hospital of LA, which is the institution responsible for all of this happening, is one of the best non for profit organizations out there today. By the way, i can go on and on about the other many reasons why this hospital is so incredible but i will wait for another post.
I can honestly say that i volunteer for selfish reasons. I use my talents for something meaningful, learn something new each time, i meet amazing people, develop new skills and create beautiful memories constantly. To me, this is about connection. To another person, to your community, to humanity and ultimately, to the spirit of Christmas which to me is love. I really do hate to get all cheese wiz on you guys, but to me, this is it. Good work with a good spirit. If i could accomplish anything with this post, it is that you open your mind and schedule up to one volunteer activity every once in a while. I can’t promise you that you will have a moment you will never forget... but at the end of the day, you will have earned your sleep and maybe even met a new role model.
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