Ethyl White
When patients walk through the front door of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Johnston-Willis Hospital, they are greeted with an enthusiastic “hello” and questions about their day from Ethyl White who has been at her post since October 2020. A position that started as a way to monitor the flow of visitors during COVID-19 has evolved into something deeper — a empathetic presence that eases patients’ journeys.
A self-proclaimed “people person,” White said it is important for her to spread joy to others. In addition to her normal duties as a patient safety screener, she has lent a kind ear and positive reinforcement during a challenging stage in someone’s life. When visitor restrictions were heightened during the pandemic and patients arrived to treatments alone, she calmed nerves through conversation.
“You know that feeling when you’ve found your niche? That’s Sarah Cannon for me,” she said. “I don’t know [the patients], and they don’t know me, but I recognize people each week and get to know their story.”
Elvira De la Cruz is one of those patients who passed by White every day on the way to radiation treatment.
“Everyone needs to know the woman inside the door and what she does to make others happy,” De La Cruz said. “She makes my day and helps me get through my treatment.”
On De La Cruz’ last day of radiation, she hugged White and told her that coming to the hospital was intimidating and that she was so glad White had been there — she called White “her hero.”
De La Cruz is one of hundreds of people White sees each day — including visitors, hospital employees, and contractors — who oftentimes change their routes just to get a wave and hear “Have a marvelous Monday” from White. A licensed minister with a nursing background, White said she receives flowers, presents, and thank you cards every week from people going through radiation, chemotherapy, or infusions whose names she might not know.
“When I’m not here, I miss [the patients],” she said. “They make me feel special. My purpose and my mission are to spread joy. Since I’ve been over here [at Sarah Cannon], I have realized that this is what I’m supposed to do.”