Feeding Customers’ Souls
Mario Saenz found more than a job when he joined Texas Health two years ago. He found a home.
“It’s been the greatest experience of my life,” said the cashier at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano. “I never thought working as a cashier in a hospital would be that beneficial to me, but it’s turned out to be something I love.”
And that love is clear in the way he treats customers and co-workers alike, said Gerardus “Gary” Vorstenbosch, director, Food & Nutrition Services.
“Mario treats everyone he meets like family,” Vorstenbosch said. “He doesn’t just make small talk. He’s genuinely interested in their lives and what they have to say. He makes every customer feel like they matter.”
Read more about how Saenz came to Texas Health.
What did you want to be as a kid, and how did you ultimately choose your job?
I’m half Greek and half Hispanic, and I grew up in Greece. I’m Greek Orthodox, and when I was a kid I thought about joining the priesthood. After serving in the Greek army, I went to college in Athens and studied theology. But then I moved to the States to be near my sisters and ended up in home improvement, working at Lowe’s.
My wife and I lived in south Texas, but she had trouble finding a job because she doesn’t speak Spanish. So I transferred to a Lowe’s store up here, but it didn’t have the same family atmosphere the other store did. I developed some health issues and decided I needed to find a better job. I applied to Texas Health, and they called just when I needed to hear from them. My first day here was on my birthday. It was the best birthday present I could get.
What’s your favorite part of the job and what are the challenges?
I’ve always been a people person, and I just love the people here. We’re a family. I talk to patients and their families, and I follow them during their journeys. At least 90% of the people I encounter share something of themselves with me. Before COVID, people would come back just to tell me how things had turned out.
As for challenges, I have a 14-year-old daughter. Nothing here is a challenge compared to that!
What’s a typical day look like for you?
Most of my day is spent ringing people up and talking to them. At a hospital, you don’t know what someone’s circumstance is. They could be here celebrating someone having a baby, or they could have a loved one upstairs with cancer or on a ventilator. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. There’s a good grace here. And everyone is here for the same reason, to help others.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Most people look at me and think I’m Hispanic. They don’t realize I grew up in Greece and speak three languages: English, Spanish and Greek.
How do you live Our Texas Health Promise®: Individuals Caring For Individuals, Together®?
I try to make people feel at home and feel special by making a personal connection with them. I sometimes hear from administration that someone gave me Applause – not just nurses and other employees, but doctors and patients’ families.
I really didn’t know much about the culture or Our Texas Health Promise® when I got here, but I already had it in my heart, so I just felt like I was home. There are other jobs I could get that might pay more, but it wouldn’t give me the same pleasure. People miss that in life sometimes.
By Robin P. Loveman • Posted May 11, 2021
