‘A Living Testimony’: Rhonda Rivers

Rhonda Rivers is a self-described people person, and she’s spent most of her 24 years at Beaufort Memorial helping people, whether in hospital and imaging appointment registration, answering phones in the emergency department or at the Keyserling Cancer Center’s Chemotherapy and Infusion Center in Beaufort (where she’s most widely known).

“Meeting new people, helping people, getting to know them — it’s a blessing to me,” Rhonda says. “It’s heartwarming to know people look for you and ask for you. When they call, they want to speak specifically to you, so that makes me feel great knowing I’m needed in whatever way.”

For seven years, Rhonda was the first person patients would see when they arrived at the Chemotherapy and Infusion Center to receive treatment, always greeting visitors with a smile and friendly hello.

“I made sure that they were comfortable as they came in,” she says. “If they had any questions, any concerns or needed any help with anything, I made sure that I put that out there to them that they could come to me or call me.”

These days, Rhonda’s patient interaction is limited. In August, she transitioned to a new role at the Infusion Center working closely with pharmacists to schedule infusion appointments in Beaufort and Okatie for patients being treated for cancer, hematologic disorders and autoimmune diseases.

“I miss interacting with my patients, but I still get to see them,” Rhonda said.

Read More: Cancer Care Close to Home

Dedicated to Her Team

Wherever Rhonda goes, she leaves her mark. Her expertise and commitment to excellence are so obvious that managers often tell new employees to take questions to Rhonda. She’s even won several awards for going above and beyond helping patients, including You Shine Through and Starfish awards in 2019.

Rhonda enjoys the teamwork at Beaufort Memorial because it allows her to help nurses and physicians and enables her to continue learning.

“There’s always something new to learn each day,” she says.

Dedicated to Her Patients

Rhonda’s compassion is also appreciated by patients. She recalls a story of one older, observant gentleman during his treatment at the Infusion Center.

“I’ve had a little duck sticker on my computer for a long time that came from an employee event in Kate Gleason Park,” she recalls. “I kept it there and when the patient saw it, he asked if I liked ducks. I told him I did and that I’d kept this same little one for many years. It always followed me wherever I went.”

The patient began bringing her a small toy duck each time he came in. Because he visited every day, Rhonda accumulated quite a collection. Each duck had a different theme, and eventually there were so many, she ran out of space to store them. She began sharing his kind gesture with the nurses and other patients, placing a few ducks at each nurse’s station and letting patients take one if they wanted.

“It made my heart full knowing he was coming here,” Rhonda says. “Even if I wasn’t at my desk, a ducky would be waiting for me in my chair. Those are the things that stick with you most.”

Although the patient has since passed, you’ll still find the ducks today throughout the Infusion Center.

Dedicated to Lowcountry Living

Growing up on St. Helena Island, Rhonda isn’t going anywhere. This area is home. It’s where her children went to school, where her mother lives and where her heart is. After 24 years of working at Beaufort Memorial, she describes herself as “living testimony” to her job and her patients.

“I love it here,” Rhonda says. “I don’t think there’s another place that I would rather be. The hospital has been good to me, so that’s why I come here and do my best each day.”

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