Ellen Eighmy was a little nervous as she entered the patient’s room. “Sometimes patients are exhausted or not feeling well,” said Eighmy, 22, a student volunteer at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). “We heard that this one patient wasn’t in a very good mood, but we went in and wound up playing cards with him for two hours and had such a great visit and really got to know him.” Eighmy, a biology major set to graduate in the spring, is one of the 287 student volunteers at The James who perform a variety of tasks, all in support of patient care. April 15 to 21 is National Healthcare Volunteer Week — a chance to thank and introduce a couple of our many student volunteers: Eighmy and Zachary Brannan. Eighmy has been a Restful Nights volunteer once a week since the spring semester of her freshman year. She and a group of 10 fellow students go from room to room with carts loaded with goodies for patients: books, magazines, notepads, decks of cards, lip balm, knit hats. “Anything to make their night better,” Eighmy says. “Everything is donated by churches and local companies and organizations, and the patients get to keep whatever we give them.” Eighmy is applying to medical schools while also keeping open the option of attending nursing school. “When I was in high school (in Erie, Pennsylvania), I volunteered at a nursing home and found I like helping people and giving back to the community,” she says. Along with that experience, she attributes her interest in medicine to a couple of great science teachers who introduced her to the wonders of biology. Eighmy is also involved in BuckeyeThon, a student organization that’s raised millions to support children with cancer, and she’s a student intern in the Radiology Department of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “I do like to stay busy,” Eighmy says. Volunteering at The James has helped Eighmy learn about hospital operations, allowed her to interact with a wide variety of doctors, nurses and staff members who serve as role models for her career, and has helped her develop a bit of a bedside manner. “I’m sociable, but a little shy,” Eighmy said, adding that she was initially nervous about walking into rooms and engaging with patients. “This has been such a good lesson for me, to learn how to read people’s emotions and go from there. I’ve learned so much and am so inspired by the patients I meet.” Brannan has learned these same lessons. “One of the most important things about being a volunteer here is that it prepares you to be thrown into a totally different world than you’re used to, and how to interact emotionally and relate to patients and their families,” said Brannan, who volunteers once a week in one of the surgical visitors’ lounges at The James, escorting families in to the recovery area to see their loved ones and checking in while they’re waiting to “make sure they have everything they need.” The biomedical engineering major from nearby Grandview Heights will also graduate in the spring and is applying to medical schools. He has completed an internship in the radiology department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and works in the lab of Adrienne Dorrance, PhD, a leukemia researcher at the OSUCCC – James. One of his most memorable patient experiences involved a woman in the critical care unit who had suffered a stroke. Brannan assisted a physical therapist who helped the patient learn how to walk again. “She was walking for the first time since her stroke and she was very excited,” Brannan says. Brannan is also the captain of the Ohio State waterski team, a founding member of the Bubble Soccer Club, and is involved with the undergraduate engineering honors committee. “I try and get some sleep now and then,” Brannan jokes. His father, Michael, was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Zach has immersed himself in his father’s treatment plan and is putting into action many of the patient-support and caregiving lessons he’s learned at The James. Brannan and Eighmy say they’ve learned a lot as James volunteers — lessons that will help them in life and in the medical careers they will soon embark upon. “One of the things I’ve learned is that the challenges I face are nothing compared to what these patients face every day here.” Eighmy says. “I’m more grateful for what I have, and believe it’s important for me to come back here every week and give something back.”