08/25/2025
🎉 We’re thrilled to celebrate the recent presentation of an Intermountain L.O.V.E. Award at American Fork Hospital! Maya, a dedicated social worker in our cancer center, was honored for the exceptional care and support she provides to our patients. Her nomination, submitted by a grateful patient, is a powerful testament to the compassion and commitment Maya brings to her work every day.
Enjoy what the patient had to say about her experience with Maya: "The first time I met with Maya, she turned toward me, turned off her phone and made me feel like I was the most important person at that moment. I told her my story of getting divorced, alimony I'd have to pay on my teacher’s salary, and how I had to call the police to help me get out of my home. Now, with bills mounting up, I didn't know what I was going to do. Maya empathized and heard every word. She then asked if I had applied for financial assistance. I replied that I had started but that until the divorce decree came out, I couldn't finish it. She talked more to me about how I was feeling and just listened. She had great words of encouragement that really made me feel hopeful rather than downtrodden."
"During a recent chemo treatment, Maya came in while I was waiting and just sat down and talked with me to see how I was doing physically and emotionally. Once again, she turned her chair right toward me, leaned forward and looked me right in the eyes. I can always feel how sincere and genuine she is. I gave her an update and then she asked me a question I've never been asked before. She asked, 'Do you have a mantra?' I asked her what exactly she meant, and she gave me an example that was something like, 'I work hard because it makes me feel of worth.' That wasn't the mantra but something like that. I told her I would work on it and email it to her by nighttime."
"I had received a very nice email from a lady at our high school that wanted me to remember how much difference I've made there and how everyone loves me. There was more and it really made me feel good, like I really am making a difference. So, I emailed Maya that my mantra is 'I Love People.' That's why I'm worth being here. Maya emailed me back and helped me to see my mantra in a different light. She loved the mantra and suggested I revise it a little so that I know I’m worth it even without people loving me. I had a hard time hearing that, but I trust Maya and realized she's trying to get me to validate myself. I really thought hard about it and told her I could do that. It'll take work because it's hard for me to accept deserving things. Maya proposed a possibility of, 'I love people, and I am deserving of people's love. That's why I'm worth being here.' That brought tears to my eyes. She had other great things to say but she helped me to realize that I can feel deserving of love and its okay."
Congratulations, Maya! 👏🏻 Thank you for showing the compassion that you do each day. 💙
