Volunteering it forward

Helping out at St. Mary’s Community Center is Savannah native’s way of giving back to the place she says saved her life

If you call St. Joseph’s/Candler St. Mary’s Community Center, there’s a good chance Donna Brock will answer the phone. If you go to St. Mary’s and need help with resume building, agency referrals or even domestic abuse counseling, Donna can help you out.

“Wherever there is a need, that’s what I’ll do,” Donna says.

Her title: Full-time volunteer. Yes, she does so much at St. Mary’s for no pay check, no fancy title or office. Why?

“St. Joseph’s literally saved my life,” Donna says. “If this is a chance to give back, it’s one I take very seriously. And, I love being here.”

A temporary set back

Donna was born and raised in Savannah. She had a long and successful career in marketing for nearly 30 years, mostly in Atlanta, but decided about six years ago to move back home and invest in herself. She enrolled in a doctorate program at the University of Southern California (USC).

Everything seemed to be going great for Donna. She was enjoying her studies, being around family and felt like she was living a healthy lifestyle, including following a vegan diet. But she admits her blood pressure was completely unchecked.

On Dec. 1, 2021, Donna wasn’t feeling terrible, but not great either, she says. But, her mother knew something wasn’t right and finally talked Donna into going to the emergency room at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Donna doesn’t remember much about that afternoon, but her mother said that by the time they pulled in to St. Joseph’s, Donna couldn’t even sit up in a wheelchair.

Donna had suffered a pontine stroke, which is a stroke that occurs in the brainstem. It can be catastrophic, resulting in difficulty with movement and sensation, causing numbness, weakness or even paralysis.

Donna would spend five weeks in rehabilitation at St. Joseph’s Hospital. On her first day of physical therapy, she couldn’t stand up on her own, let alone walk. But that didn’t stop her from setting a goal of being able to walk across the stage at USC to receive her doctorate.

“Most people looked at me like I was crazy, but the physical, occupational and speech therapists at St. Joseph’s/Candler never did. They were like, ‘OK, let’s get to work,’” Donna recalls.

Coming full circle

While her plan to invest in herself may have hit a speed bump, Donna never gave up. After five weeks in inpatient rehab and months of outpatient rehab, Donna was able to walk across that stage all by herself in May 2022.

Still, that’s not the graduation that means the most to her, she says. The most important graduation came when she returned home to outpatient physical therapy at Candler Hospital in August 2022. Wearing her USC cap and gown, Donna walked the rehab hallway with many of the therapists who helped make it possible.

“I have never experienced a group of people who were so invested in someone else’s care. I find it so amazing,” Donna says. “Obviously, St. Joseph’s/Candler is a major employer, a major presence in this community, but I never imagined so many people would impact so many different aspects of my life.”

“Part of being here at St. Mary’s Community Center is I have a real sense of wanting to give back. I know had it not been for St. Joseph’s, I might not be here right now.”

One month after she finished outpatient rehab, Donna began volunteering at St. Mary’s Community Center. While inpatient and outpatient rehab helped her gain back her mobility, amongst other things, St. Mary’s allows her to work her brain and put her years of experience and education to use, while giving back to St. Joseph’s/Candler and the community it serves.

“To find people who go above and beyond every day, hour after hour, you just don’t see that. Here, everybody really has embraced the mission,” Donna says. “To come away from work and say, ‘I helped somebody’ is meaningful to me. I had that sense before but it was as a cog in a machine, but when you work for a place like St. Joseph’s/Candler and specifically St. Mary’s, you can literally come away full of joy because you helped somebody.”

“I’ve been blessed in many ways but I consider this a key jewel in my blessings.”

Coming Thursday: Learn more about the type of stroke Donna had, a pontine stroke