A Lifetime of Service

Marilyn Williams, 91, stands with Dorothy Mraz-Smith, a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapist. Williams has been volunteering at Enloe’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program for 23 years.

Enloe Medial Center has a long tradition of engaging with the community through Volunteer Services. For 58 years, community members of all ages and backgrounds have gifted their time and talents to Enloe’s patients and staff.

Marilyn Williams is one of them. She has been volunteering at Enloe’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program for 23 years. She’ll be 92 years old this fall, and she has no plans of stopping.

Williams is no stranger to the medical field. She is a retired nurse, who spent much of her career at the Chico Community Hospital, Butte Home Health and a family practice office until her retirement in 1996. Her journey to volunteering started a couple of years later when her husband became a patient at Enloe’s Cardiac Rehab after suffering a heart attack.

Williams used to accompany him as he walked the track at California State University, Chico, where the program used to be located. Watching the nurses who monitored workouts inspired her.

“I thought, ‘Goodness, I think I could get back and do volunteering in some way,’” she said.

A Rewarding Experience

Williams’ primary focus is Pulmonary Rehabilitation. She dedicates her Fridays to follow-up care and data collection. Williams calls patients with chronic lung problems six months and a year after they have graduated from the program. She asks how many days they have stayed in the hospital and compares that data to the number of days they stayed in the hospital before attending the program.

Thanks to her efforts, the program has been able to demonstrate that there is a 64% reduction rate of patient hospital stays after completing Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

“It’s been very helpful to have a job over the years that’s helped sustain me through some, you know, ups and downs of retirement, losing a husband and such. To me, it’s been a rewarding occupation,” Williams said.

The joy Williams gets from learning, working with people and talking to patients is what keeps her motivated.

“I love to talk to patients who are ill, not that I wish them illness, but to be able to follow them through and hear of their continued improvement and be able to continue with their life, I think it’s very rewarding to be a part of that,” she said.

Consider Volunteering

Dorothy Mraz-Smith, a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapist and colleague from their Chico Community Hospital days, collaborates with Williams with the data collection, cross-referencing with medical records.

“What Marilyn does saves us an enormous amount of time,” she said. “It’s very helpful for our department. I’m just very appreciative of her — all of us are.”

Williams encourages people of her age to consider volunteering and spend time in the outdoors to stay active. “To me, it’s very rewarding. It makes me feel good,” she said.

Enloe Volunteer Services has a variety of positions that cater to different interests and backgrounds. Community members can apply as early as 16 years of age. To learn more about the application process and the different service areas, visit www.enloe.org/volunteer.