An Interview of Charmain Venter Who Volunteers at Ruby Memorial Hospital
Arriving in Morgantown, West Virginia, around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, my father and I spent our first couple of hours visiting West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Children’s Hospital. There, we got a taste of the difficulties the families at the Ronald McDonald house face, and the reason behind why it’d be so special to serve them dinner later on.
Entering one of the play rooms, we met volunteer Charmain Venter, as well as three children, Sabrina, Noah, and Quinton, and their parents. Coming with books and toys donated by Christopher Carlson, we couldn’t help but feel for everyone in the room. We wanted to help them smile, but a number of them weren’t yet in the condition to play.
After placing the Bumpes in a toy chest, we spoke to Charmain Venter, about her history and the hospital’s efforts to care for the children.
Three years ago, Charmain traveled to Morgantown, from South Africa, with her family, when a job opportunity opened up for her husband at West Virginia University as a forensics professor. She came to West Virginia expecting change. No longer was her home right next to the beach, but in a cold environment. Only she, out of her husband, son, and daughter, could speak English fluently. Driving was now understandably confusing, and the measurements she had memorized, no longer helpful. But there was one change, she says, she couldn’t see coming. And that was the compassion of people around her. The town embraced her transfer and welcomed her as a friend.
She is reminded of this through how they continue to embrace the local students.
“The university is what carries Morgantown, and I think this is part of the reason why people are so accepting and so giving here is because the community is so diverse. The students who come here, a lot of them are from other countries, and because they are strange and far away from home and do not have a support system, the community tends to take them in and take care of them. And that is part of the reason, I think, they are such wonderful people.”
And it is because of such commitment, she claims, the hospital is in great condition.
“My experience with hospitals has always been very cold and very clinical. Here, it’s not. It’s a warm, welcoming environment. The staff are so supporting towards each other and towards the families. They do not show anyone away, no matter where they’re from, or what their financial needs might be. They do not let anyone leave and not help them. The children’s hospital, in my opinion, is one of the best places ever. Not only do they have the very best doctors and nursing staff who work here, but the general experience for a child who is really sick and comes here is way better than a normal hospital. The staff really makes the kids feel at home.”
The hospital provides the children and parents plenty of ways to get their minds away from their troubles. The children are given televisions that feature full gaming systems (Xbox, Wii, etc.), which allow the kids to play video games, watch movies and TV. Not too long ago, the parents were given ‘sleeping chairs,’ that act almost as if oversized recliners with television screens built into them.
Yet, the hospital knows that entertainment isn’t enough. The parents are given free meals and allowed to go shopping while their kids are babysat. They are always immediately informed of their child’s condition and are able to be with them 24/7. The mothers are even said to be offered free makeovers, where the volunteers wash their hair, paint their nails, and “make them feel pretty.” The hospital’s care for them isn’t limited in any way whatsoever.
“I’ve had a personal experience where I knew of somebody who was here at the hospital with a little child, and they could not speak the language, and it was little things like a hug that made all the difference,” said Charmin.
Lastly, her local church, Suncrest United Methodist, has also offered itself as a caregiver.
“The Church that I belong to, we do what we call ‘prayer quilts’ and we give them to people who are in the hospital. And at our service, the pastor reads whatever is wrong with them, and we then tie-knots. It is a quilt that is put in the front of the church with little pieces of string that we sow on, and we tie knots on them. And a copy of the service and the quilt is later given to them.”
The quilts are said to go all over the world. If you are near Morgantown, they are working on them every Thursday. Check out their website if you’d like to see what they’re up to.
Please pray for the children at Ruby Memorial. That God would provide them healing, and their parents, strength. There is no way we can understand what they are going through. But we can recognize their pain and suffering, and through our personal motivation to love and empathize, bless them through Him.