ST. LOUIS — Hispanic Heritage Month is in full swing. It kicked off September 15th because some Latin American countries recognize it as their Independence Day.
To highlight their achievements and contributions, 5 On Your Side is highlighting Hispanics who are making an impact in the St. Louis area.
To start the series, we feature a nurse who sacrificed it all to help cancer patients.
Lilybel Rios is an oncology nurse at SLU Hospital. She's made moves to transform her life and the lives of others.
The Puerto Rican native graduated in 2018. Then, she was recruited and came to the continental United States without knowing anyone.
"They traveled to Puerto Rico to hire nurses. After Hurricane Maria, it was very hard to find a job over there. I would say it's the craziest thing I've done in my life. It's a different language, it's no family members. I am sacrificing something, it's my family, but at the same time, I think I have a purpose here," she said.
Rios' inspiration for the job came after she nursed her own grandpa with cancer.
"I did my best with him, but I feel like I needed to do better. So, I decided to do oncology and what I didn't do for him I wanted to do for other patients," Rios adds.
Her mission now is to uplift others, as she paints the cancer ward with her colorful culture.
"I try to teach my co-workers Spanish, I dance with them, showing them some steps and stuff," Rios explains.
On her floor, many fight to survive.
Some battle cancer, along with COVID. Yet, they don't do it alone.
"They need us, they can't have family go in the room for them, so we are family for them," she tells 5 On Your Side.
Rios knows first hand, change is hard. The steps to move forward can be difficult, but the journey becomes easier when you can dance through it with love on your side.
"They became family because they stay here for so long, it's more than a patient. It's family for us," she said.
"You’re put here from God to lift us up. When they tell you, you have this, they take you away from your family and surround you with strangers," one of Rios' patients said. "Pretty soon you’re not surrounded by strangers."