For Dr. Carmen Rodriguez, family has always been extremely important and a centerpiece of her life. And family has also been a central part of her work at Grace as a volunteer.
Born and raised in Cuba, Dr. Rodriguez moved with her mother to Texas when she was 17 years old. Having always had an interest in science, she decided to pursue a career in medicine, especially after her father was diagnosed with lung cancer.
She did her undergraduate degree at the University of Houston before heading to medical school at Texas Tech University in El Paso. It was there that she first had her experience volunteering to help the underserved, and it became a passion for her.
After completing her residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Dr. Rodriguez then worked at a county hospital with patients that had little to no healthcare. She then got married, moved to Orlando, and started a family. While she decided to focus on raising her children, she still wanted to help patients and be involved.
Her husband heard about Grace, and soon Dr. Rodriguez was a volunteer. She began in November 2017, and soon she would find herself helping a family desperately in need.
Just a few months after she started volunteering at Grace, Dr. Rodriguez saw a new patient who was in her 30s. The patient had just arrived from Colombia and was experiencing abdominal pain. Unfortunately, it turned out to be stomach cancer. At the time, her family was still applying for asylum, had nothing, didn’t speak English, and they had a very young son.
“I became so close to them,” said Dr. Rodriguez. “Grace became a huge part of her treatment.”
Although the patient recovered for a few months, the cancer returned and spread and she passed away in September 2019. However, before the patient passed,, Dr. Rodriguez helped write a letter to the American embassy in Colombia and submitted the patient’s medical records in order to allow the embassy to give her mother a visa to come and be with her. It took months, but the patient’s mother was able to come to the US two weeks before she passed away. They were also able to have a priest come and baptize their young son. Her husband and son are still Grace patients to this day.
As Dr. Rodriguez continues to serve patients, she says Grace makes her appreciative.
“Grace for me is my place of joy,” she said. “Every single time that I go there, I come out feeling like a stronger, better person and doctor.”
