When I was six years old, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck my hometown of Managua, Nicaragua.
I still remember the uncertainty that followed. Families displaced from their homes. Communities trying to recover. Volunteers showing up with food, supplies, shelter, and support. As a child, I may not have understood the scale of everything happening around me, but I understood what it felt like when someone showed up to help.
Those memories came back to me this spring while volunteering at Ascension’s Medical Mission at Home.
Throughout May, more than 4,000 associates, clinicians, volunteers, and partners came together across our ministries to bring care directly into communities. We provided more than 19,000 services to nearly 4,300 people. Those numbers matter. But what stays with me most are the individual moments behind them.
The Power of Connection
At several Medical Mission at Home events this year, I volunteered as a Spanish translator, helping families navigate services and connect with care teams. One interaction in particular stood out.
I spent part of the day helping a Spanish-speaking family who had immigrated to the United States years earlier. As we moved through the event together, their young daughter kept looking toward the teddy bear station.
When we finally arrived there, someone handed her a bear. I asked her in Spanish what she wanted to name it.
Without hesitation, she smiled and said, “Arroz con Leche.”
In English, that translates to “rice pudding.” It may sound like an unusual name. But in many Latin American households, arroz con leche is familiar. It is comfort. It is warmth. It feels like home.
I laughed and told her she answered very quickly. She looked back at me and said, “I’ve been thinking about the name since we walked in.”
It was never really about the teddy bear.
For that little girl, it meant being seen. Feeling safe. Having something that belonged to her. Experiencing joy in the middle of what may have been a long and overwhelming day. And for me, it was a powerful reminder that presence matters. How we show up in the simplest moments can truly make a difference.
Redefining Access Through Dignity
In healthcare, we often talk about access in terms of systems, coverage, technology, and operations. Those things matter. But experiences like this are a reminder that people remember something even more fundamental: how they were treated.
Did someone take the time to help them? Did they feel welcomed? Did they experience dignity and compassion along the way?
Medical Mission at Home is one of the ways Ascension helps remove barriers that prevent people from getting the support they need. It connects them to primary care, screenings, medications, follow-up services, food resources, and community support. But it also reminds us that healthcare is ultimately about human connection.
Putting our Mission in Action
“Meeting people where they are” has become a common phrase in healthcare. These events gave me the opportunity to see what that looks like in practice. Not just as a leader, but as a volunteer alongside our care teams and associates.
I watched clinicians sit with patients and answer questions. I saw volunteers help families navigate services, hand out food, wash feet, fit shoes, and guide people through the day with empathy and respect.
These moments may seem ordinary. But they are the clearest expression of our Mission.
Healthcare cannot only exist inside hospitals or clinics. It has to extend beyond them to reach the people who need it most. That means bringing primary care, medications, and screenings directly into communities. It means helping someone navigate a complicated system in their own language. And it means recognizing that a teddy bear can mean far more to a child than we realize.
A Future Rooted in Humanity
I am deeply grateful to every associate, clinician, volunteer, and community partner who made Medical Mission at Home possible this year. Thank you for bringing health, healing, and hope to thousands of people across our ministry.
The future of healthcare will be shaped not only by innovation or technology, but by whether we continue to build systems rooted in humanity, dignity, and compassion.
That is the kind of care we will continue delivering and designing, together.
