The moment Nurse Louella Keys stepped in to the Medical Center Emergency Center as a volunteer, her life changed. She recalled, “My best memory of Texas Children’s is knowing at that moment, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I felt like God led me to that moment because it felt like home.” Louella recently celebrated her 30th year as a nurse at Texas Children’s. This anniversary was even more special because her daughter, Lanaye, was there to celebrate with her as a co-worker in the West Campus EC.
Nurses Mary Ann Callejo and Sygnore Valdeavilla also share Louella’s decades of service having worked for Texas Children’s for 26 and 25 years, respectively. While different roads led them to Texas Children’s, they all ended up at West Campus and came together to open the WC Emergency Center in 2011.
Sygnore remarked, “I’m grateful to Texas Children’s for the opportunity to pioneer the West Campus EC. I take pride in seeing and participating in the growth of the campus as a community hospital. From having a 14-bed ER capacity to 25 beds in under three years and also going from a level 5 trauma to a level 4 in a community hospital while aiming to become level 3, that’s incredible.”
Mary Ann has since moved to the Float Pool, but they all maintain their friendships, respect for each other’s skills and deep passion for the work. While each believes in the power of compassionate care to help families through the toughest moments, they agreed what also keeps them at Texas Children’s is their work families. “My coworkers have definitely kept me here,” said Mary Ann. “At West Campus, we get to know each other so well because our campus is smaller. I have made so many friends during my time here. It makes a huge difference when you enjoy the people you work with.”
Louella also commented, “Texas Children’s is so incredibly special because of the people who work here. All of us give the best parts of ourselves to the kids we take care of every day we come to work. It doesn’t matter what role you have here, we are all important in that child’s care.”
Sygnore also works alongside her daughter Camille, who joined the WC EC in 2022, and during her recent 25th anniversary party talked about why she’s still here. “I feel this great pride that I DID THIS! I love what I do, being a peds ER Nurse. It gives me great joy when I see patients respond to my care. It’s simple moments that mean the most like when a patient gave me a drawn picture of his family and I was in it. What began as a job 25 years ago has become a true source of purpose and pride for me.”
All three nurses imparted sage advice for nurses or anyone who wants to build a career at Texas Children’s:
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Louella: “You work at the best place in the world so learn everything you can and make every moment count because you never know when you’re going to change someone’s life.”
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Mary Ann: “Give your best effort to the patients and their families. Have fun and interact with the kids on their level. Be a team player and help your coworkers. Get involved and participate in activities that will help you grow professionally and personally. Invest in your well-being also and practice self-care. We can’t take care of our patients if we don’t take care of ourselves.”
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Sygnore: “Be kind to everyone, especially to yourself… give yourself time to grow, to learn everything you can learn, and to take opportunities to do right when they’re presented to you. These will help define the future you.”
These nurses are a shining example of living our HEART values every day. We thank them for their many years of dedicated service and compassionate care. You are amazing!
