Education key to realizing dream of helping others

“I’m a native Houstonian. Raised in the Denver Harbor area. It was a lower-income neighborhood, practically a ghetto. It was pretty rough. A lot of gang members and stuff like that. I grew up with six brothers, and I was the oldest. There were so many our age who were either on drugs or not living a good life at all. But I always knew I didn’t want to be like the rest of them. I was determined to get out of there, get an education and do something with my life.

“When people in the neighborhood got hurt, the ambulance automatically took them to Ben Taub Hospital. I remember going with my mom once and hiding behind the seating area in the waiting room. I’d look at what was going on and think, one day I want to work here. I had this desire to help others. I wanted to come back and help my people, my family.

“Being from the neighborhood where I lived, they were starting this program that a doctor was sponsoring. He would pay for the classes at school and everything. I got pretty lucky, and was among the people chosen. There were classes at Hermann Hospital, and then I went to Baylor College of Medicine. I got certified as an ophthalmic assistant. I ended up working for Harris County Hospital District, 20 years at Ben Taub and the last 10 at LBJ Hospital. I was the ophthalmologist’s right hand, whatever he needed done in the clinic, in surgery or in the emergency room.

“I loved my job. I got such enjoyment out of helping people, especially those from my old neighborhood. A lot of those patients knew me from the day I was born. So I felt like, I’m supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be doing this. This is my place in life.”

— Mary Delgado