Blanca has taken such amazing care of me through my battle with Breast cancer four years ago and the past six months while I survived lung cancer. Blanca is always so friendly, refreshing and smiling at work. On the days when I felt overwhelmed and like nothing was going right, Blanca was there to make me feel special, loved, and cared for. She is always patient when my husband and I have questions or need clarification on my medical care and treatment plans. Blanca is a ray of sunshine in the times of darkness while battling cancer and feeling like you may not win. I thank God for Blanca and my entire medical team at Texas Oncology.

I met Brandi on my first day after I transferred from Frisco to Greenville. I have always worked with great medical assistants, but Brandi is exceptional. She has so many roles in this office that she excels at, all while showing so much compassion towards patients and is a great teammate. She assists in infusion without us asking and she anticipates needs around this entire clinic and tries to assist in any way she can. She is so patient, and kind and I see how hard she works at every job she is assigned. She deserves this recognition and more for her efforts every single day.

Dawn takes care of us as if we are her family member. She has helped us take notes during appointments that involved enormous amounts of information. She has helped us juggle multiple doctors appointments in order to fit all our treatments, scans, and follow ups into our calendar. She has went above and beyond to comfort, reassure, support and share knowledge through our journey. She has spent her lunch by our bedside if needed or popping in to check on us during treatment. She always makes us priority when we are in need. We Love her and appreciate every minute that she spends making our journey easier to bare.

When I first started treatment, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was nervous and unsure. Meeting Gabby that first day with her infectious smile; bubbly personality helped me in knowing that I was going to be ok and in the right place. She is such a sweetheart and so easy to talk to. She makes my treatment days' worth coming to. I am so comfortable around her and can share anything with her. She's my "bestie" here. When you're dealing with something that can be devastating, it helps to have someone that can make you smile and laugh even for a moment, to get through it. Gabby does just that. She offers her warmth and compassion from her heart with love. She means the world to me, and I cannot thank her enough for it all.

Gracy is the Medical assistant for Texas Oncology infusion team in Odessa, Tx. Gracy joined the infusion team around 2 years ago. I can tell you without a doubt that I have never seen someone work as hard as she does to help keep our infusion room running smoothly. Her compassion for our team and patients is indescribable. She predominantly sets the pace for our team on a daily basis. She goes above and beyond to keep our infusion room stocked and always has the infusion room decorated to the nine's, which our patient's absolutely love!!!!! If any person deserves a sunflower award, it's Gracy. She is always thinking about others, whether it be for birthdays or trying to help keep a patient as comfortable as possible. Her respect, encouragement, and high-quality care she provides on a daily basis is not unnoticed.

Keenan excels at all the "big things" that are required of a medical assistant in the infusion room, but it is in all the "little things" he does on a daily basis that he really shines. Every patient (and family member) gets a huge smile and a "how are you doing?" as he walks beside them into the infusion room. He makes their comfort his priority, offering blankets, drinks, and snacks up front so they never have to ask for these things. He is a great listener and intuitive about needs that may not have even been expressed and is a huge reason our patients feel so welcome and cared for as they sit in our chairs for the fight of their lives. His approach to others extends to the nursing staff as well. It seems he makes it his mission to make everyone's day more pleasant with his sense of humor and thoughtful acts of kindness. An example of this for me personally: I was having a very hectic day and was frustrated over several things that just didn't seem to be going right. I needed to print an order, and found my printer was out of paper. Instead of going to the supply closet for more, I took some out of another printer. Keenan must have noticed my exasperated groan, because a few minutes later he quietly placed a new ream of paper on my desk. While this was a "little thing", his thoughtfulness turned my day around. I felt thankful and was able to settle down and calmly proceed with what I needed to do. Keenan is not only a great MA, but he is also a wonderful person who daily embraces and displays our Pillars and is truly deserving of the Sunflower Award.

I do not know how to start when talking about/demonstrating how wonderful Laura is. It really is not about one story - it’s about the whole of the person. She is always upbeat. You do not have to worry about something getting done when she is handling it. What is really special about Laura is she not only makes patients feel special, she has the same relationship not only with other medical assistants but with the entire staff - from doctors on through. She has been given multiple opportunities to grow and has gladly and professionally taken on anything regardless of the situation. She is definitely most deserving of this award.

Sandra is one of the most kind, compassionate and considerate MAs I have had the pleasure to work with. She consistently goes above and beyond in her care for patients. She is always helpful and goes to great lengths to make each patient feel special. No matter how busy the clinic is, she gives patients her full attention, always seeming unhurried. She is quick to pick up on issues or problems and reports them appropriately. She is never too busy to help coworkers and is a good steward of her time. She is always so pleasant! My husband is a patient in this clinic. He makes a point to tell me when he sees her and of their interaction. We are fortunate to have her in our clinic.

I cannot choose one specific instance or story in which Sheena has gone above and beyond for her patients and coworkers because it is something she does on a daily basis. Even on tough days, she does her best to wear a smile and encourage everyone she encounters. There have been multiple occasions when she has been in the infusion room to come get a patient for her MD, but as she walks through, if she notices we are very busy or sees something someone needs (whether it is for her doctor's patient or not), she never hesitates to give out blankets/pillows, clean chairs, take vitals, or anything else she can do that we need as she passes through. She is always so compassionate and loving to everyone and I value her so much as a team member and a friend. She has an incredible ability to make every person she interacts with feel important and cared for. If there is any MA that deserves to wear the sunflower award, it's her.

Vickie is a part of the EOS committee. She applies herself amazingly well with the tasks she has within the committee. She has worked to design and maintain a monthly clinic newsletter. She involves herself with her coworkers to learn about each one in order to include fun and interesting tidbits in the newsletter. She is always looking for ways to help other departments and to stay busy. She assists the nurse manager with EOM tasks and daily drives across town to pick up lab specimens at our other office to help expedite patient results. Vickie was one of the first members of our EOS committee. She has a strong but reasonable voice within the committee for instituting changes for the improvement of our clinic flow and staff appreciation. Vickie is truly a very valued member of TXO Abilene. Collaboration and respect could be notes as Vickie's "first and last name."