An EVS team member is the grandmother everyone deserves in the hospital.
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
To Sonia Amador, little Rose Byers is “Rosita,” one of her many young friends in the CVICU at Riley Hospital for Children.
Every time she gets to see the baby, Amador coos “que linda” – how cute.
“We love her,” Madison and Spencer Byers say in unison about Amador, an environmental services team member who cleans Rose’s hospital room daily. “She talks to Rose and tells her how cute she is.”
Amador is Spanish-speaking, but she communicates her love for all patients and families at Riley, no matter their native language, with her eyes, her smile and her heart. Bilingual co-workers and a translator app on her phone help, too.
She goes by another name on the unit as well – Grandma or “abuelo/abuelita.”
“Sonia falls in love with our patients,” unit secretary Alma Estrada said, as Amador and a team of EVS workers did a thorough clean of a room in preparation for an incoming surgery patient. “She connects with all cultures in the unit. People just know her and enjoy that connection.”
Known for her hard work and attention to detail, Amador has been assigned to the CVICU throughout her four years at Riley.
“She is an incredibly hard worker with a wonderful spirit,” said Laura Alter, director of clinical operations. “She brings joy to the whole unit, and we’re so lucky to have her.”
Tom Harlow, CV service line administrative director, said the work she does makes a difference, not just in the cleanliness of the unit but in the hearts of the team and the families.
“We’re grateful for the care she provides to our patients and families and for her dedication to the Heart Center,” he said. “The work she does here is so impactful.”
Amador is embarrassed by all the attention, saying she just loves the babies and enjoys talking to them. She has a grandchild herself, but the little girl lives in Nicaragua, so she has never met her in person. Just ask, though, and she will proudly show a photo of the 3-year-old on her phone.
“I would love to hold her,” she said of her grandchild, as Estrada translated for her, “and these little ones that are not mine I wish I could hold them.”
She has formed close bonds with many families on the unit and grieves deeply when a patient passes away, remembering a little boy who used to wave to her from his hospital bed.
“It is very hard on all of us,” Estrada said.
Amador was back in Rose’s room this morning, so Madison Byers took the opportunity to get a photo of her with her daughter.
“We’ve learned a few things in Spanish from her,” Byers said. “The language barrier is definitely there, but her genuine joy and excitement make up for it. Every time Rose has an outfit on or her hair done, she will point to it and get so excited.”
The family has known Amador since Rose was 3 months old. The little girl, who turned 1 in June, was inpatient for 165 days last year, before being discharged home in November. She returned for follow-up care at the Riley Outpatient Center before being readmitted in late January.
She will undergo an additional complex heart surgery to repair her aortic valve in a few weeks, her mom said.
Until then, she is comforted knowing that Amador will continue bringing her light and gentle spirit into her daughter’s room.
“We love Sonia. She has truly been a highlight of Rose’s hospital stay.”
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