"Hi my name is Suzie, I am a volunteer at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. My history with the hospital dated back to the 1970’s. I applied to, what was then, Variety Children’s Hospital’s the school of Medical Technology.  I was accepted, finished the program and I was then hired as a medical technologist. Shortly thereafter, it became Miami Children’s Hospital. My employment expanded to almost 36 years. I worked the midnight shift for most of those years. Lab work and pediatric medicine was a great interest to me and still is.

All good things come to an end, and it was time for me to retire. After about six months, I found that I missed the hospital intensely. My telephone at home did not ring, my children were gone, my friends had their families, and the TV was not to my liking.  I thought about volunteering and wasn’t sure how I would handle returning to a place that I had received a pay check for my work. I tossed this thought around for a couple of months. I thought of an expression I had heard many times, “you receive more than what you give.”  

And at that point, I thought I would try it anyway. Here we are at the present time, I have been volunteering for the past four and a half years at what is now Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. I proudly volunteer twice a week in two departments, the Michael Fux Family Center and Neonatal Intensive Care unit. I know that my dedication and services are deeply appreciated by the patients, families and staff."

-Suzie G., Volunteer