04/20/2026
Gillian was an introvert whose beautiful smile allowed her to connect with everyone she met. She was a gifted artist and painter. Up until a month before her death from cancer, she was volunteering at Wolfson Children's Hospital with sick kids. Gillian was the kind of person we always say we want to be, but can't seem to find the time.
Her mother, Connie, is finding the time.
It’s been almost 2 years since she lost Gillian at age 23, but Connie is paying tribute to her daughter by volunteering weekly here at Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center while also spending time at Wolfson Children's Hospital and Baptist Health Jacksonville. She spends a lot of time in some of the very rooms where her daughter was treated throughout her eight and a half year battle, channeling the positivity and light that followed Gillian everywhere she went.
“It makes me feel closer to her every day I'm here,” Connie says.
Connie considers volunteering to be a part of her “quest to understand Gillian better” and to feel the “quiet joy” and strength her daughter possessed. It’s this quest that has led her to form lasting bonds with our patients, serve on the board of Art with a Heart in Healthcare, and spearhead many projects that bring creativity and joy to those in need. It’s hard to say who gets more out of it—her or the patients.
"The most fulfilling part of volunteering has been getting to know patients and hearing their stories," Connie explains. "It's a privilege to be able to provide them support and even become good friends with some of the patients."
One of those patients is a young man diagnosed with the same cancer as Gillian, and the two have formed a bond from bittersweet circumstances. In fact, there have been multiple signs of Gillian's influence on her mother's volunteering that have been impossible to ignore, such as being able to visit the father of Gillian's best friend when he was hospitalized and as he continues treatment. Grief is not linear, but Connie says she's formed a better understanding of both the process and her daughter's life.
"Volunteering has taught me the importance of serving others. You will find so much joy in the time you spend with patients," Connie shared. If that sounds a lot like the kind of thing Gillian would say, that's because it is — she was the consummate friend and support system to others.
It’s impossible to summarize the enormity of Gillian’s legacy, and Connie isn’t trying to; she’s merely adding to it, incrementally, every hour she spends volunteering in her daughter’s honor.
It's , so please join us in the comments in thanking Connie for all that she does. Thank you, Connie... and thank you, Gillian.
