Cynda Conrad has been manager of Patient Family Services and Child Life at Texas Children’s Hospital – The Woodlands for eight of the almost 18 years she has been a Texas Children’s employee. She knows providing guidance and ensuring each team member feels heard are essential to maintaining a positive and supportive environment.
“Advice I took to heart early in my career was, ‘Don’t overthink everything. Don’t try to do everything perfectly. Do the best you can to meet that family’s or patient’s needs in that moment.’”
Similarly, Cynda wants members of her team to feel calm and stress-free during moments of difficulty or uncertainty, knowing they have the support of her and their fellow teammates. She encourages self-care, helping her team reinforce important boundaries and ensuring they have the physical and emotional resources they need. Her motto is “Let’s talk about it and figure it out together.”
A career comes full circle
Working at Texas Children’s was a dream rooted in Cynda’s childhood. Between the ages of eight and nine, Cynda came regularly from her home in Conroe to Texas Children’s to receive laser treatments on her port wine stain birthmark.
“I remember as a child seeing the big buildings and feeling nervous for my appointment.”
One of the first people she met upon arrival was a child life specialist who used a doll to demonstrate the procedure for Cynda to help her understand what to expect on her visits and ease her fears. Cynda carried the doll, which she keeps in her office, to every appointment and looked forward to seeing “her special nurse.”
As she grew older, Cynda wanted to work with children and becoming a child life specialist seemed like a perfect fit. Knowing she wanted to work where she had received such excellent care as a child, Cynda completed her clinical internship at Texas Children’s and joined our One Amazing Team. She began her career as a child life specialist in a float position, quickly moved to radiology, and later our Cancer Center, before assuming her current role at The Woodlands Campus.
Connecting with patients
While discussing the unique opportunities she has had to serve our patients, Cynda tells of once meeting a very shy little girl who, like Cynda, had a port wine birthmark. “She had a tough time looking people in the eye and the mom was very nervous but when I walked in to talk to them about their appointment, mom lit up.”
Cynda says they did not talk about having a birthmark that day because the family was there for other reasons, but she knew that being in that space with someone who looked like the little girl made a difference for them in that moment.
As she recalls the story, it is easy to see why Cynda’s ability to help people feel at ease is The Difference for her team and our patients. We are grateful her career brought her full circle to Texas Children’s, where she listens and leads our Child Life and Patient Family Services teams with grace and encouragement.