Sonia Didia entices you with her strong Lousiana accent, her Soutehrn charm and her ability to connect. Her soothing voice makes you feel relaxed, like you are sitting with a warm cup of hot chocolate all comfy and snuggled up. She loves talking to people, meeting them and more importantly helping them. Rena Shaab, Sonia’s mom, taught her the importance from hesed from a young age. “One time my mother was traveling from Baton Rouge to New York with my brother Irwin,” said Sonia. “Irwin was acting out and this nun on the train helped my mom. The nun ran an orphanage, and my mother sent her clothing every year for the children.”
As her children grew older, Sonia began volunteering with Sephardic Bikur Holim and then with Medstar, helping people in the community find doctors for their specific needs.
In providing those critical medical referrals, Sonia sometimes worked with cancer patients whose cases were more complicated. For example, a young woman undergoing treatment for breast cancer might feel weak and tired. With several young children the patient might need help with a housekeeper, someone to help with cooking and going to treatments.
As it happens, Sonia is good friends with Nancy Sutton, who founded Medstar. The two of them often teamed to help patients.
From the time she was a child, Nancy joined school programs and knew she wanted to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. As a young woman, Nancy visited the sick. After she married, she took on projects, later even becoming a foster parent to 14 different children over several years. Her parents were a huge influence on her. Ceasar and Esther Salama had helped establish the Ahi Ezer Senior Citizen housing and programs. They loved to bring joy to seniors and never stop giving to others. Her aunt Gitta Sultan was a mentor with Beth Teens. So the idea of being a volunteer was deeply embedded in her family values.
As more and more calls came in for cancer patients, it became obvious that many cancer clients were not getting the proper assistance. They needed more than help with finding oncologists, surgery, biopsies and so forth. A holistic approach was needed for the patient and the entire family to think about.
And so the idea for forming the Morris I. Franco Cancer Center became more critical. Nancy was the doer, the go getter, the one that got things done.
Nancy Sutton described an incident that had a huge impact on her life. While at Medstar, she was called to help when a 5-year-old boy and his pregnant mother got hit by a bus. The father was beside himself and the boy was in a coma and needed significant medical help. Within minutes of arriving at the hospital and assessing the situation, Nancy realized her small but effective actions could make a difference.
She spoke to doctors, called hospitals, until she was able to get the boy transferred to a better hospital. The boy came out of the coma and both mother and child survived, although rehab was necessary. Years later, the young boy received a youth award for volunteerism. Nancy’s commitment to helping others came full circle. To Nancy, her volunteer time is rewarded as others volunteer to become involved in hesed (acts of loving kindness).
“As I saw the need to help patients with cancer, we looked for best practices in the field,” said Nancy. “We visited hospitals, the Mayo Clinic and even saw Gilda Radner had opened support groups. We saw libraries so we set up a library. The diagnosis of cancer is just the beginning.”
And so Nancy—the doer—was able to form the Morris I. Franco Cancer Center as a separate nonprofit organization operating from offices rented from Sephardic Bikur Holim.
A turning point for the organization came in the beginning, when a Breast Cancer Awareness Day attracted 750 women from the community.
And from there the Morris I. Franco Cancer Center took off with dozens of volunteers, social workers, support groups and other services. They serve patients from young children to the elderly. They help patients get through their medical issues, but they also assist with day to day problems. For example, if someone needs to go to a wedding, they help them feel pretty, so the patient looks presentable in public during the event. Arts and crafts become a support group so the patients can talk among themselves and share experiences.
“Losing your hair and getting fitted for a wig can be traumatic,” said Sonia, “so we help with wigs. I like helping people. It’s uplifting. You feel like you are doing something to enhance their lives. With cancer, it’s helping the whole family through a broad spectrum of issues.”
Social occasions are planned such as trips to museums. A few families are selected each year to go to Disney World, akin to the Make a Wish grant. Highly trained volunteers understand the rules of privacy and deliver Shabbat packages.
“Sometimes patients are shy about coming in for help. Nancy is patient and she convinces them to use our services and they are so appreciative,” said Sonia. “We treat them as people, not as victims of an illness and that’s a good way to reach them.”
Patients can take advantage of massage therapy, Reiki, yoga, group counseling and private therapy. A group chat on WhatsApp allows people to reach out for help for example, if a patient is feeling unwell and needs someone to drop off a meal for the family.
So how is the Morris I. Franco Cancer Center managing during the Covid pandemic? “Our patients are even more vulnerable and at risk, so we have to be very careful,” said Nancy.
The Cancer Center has switched to remote (Zoom) yoga, group and private counseling services. “We help people on the phone as much as we can,” said Sonia. “One thing I have learned is that to help patients, you need to be proactive, especially with the medical profession.”
Nancy said, “We created the Cancer Center to create better outcomes and to help the mind, body and soul of each client. We help the entire family. It has become a place to smile, a place to be okay with what’s happening in their lives. Emotional happiness helps the clients and their families cope.”
SARINA ROFFE
