San Juan Regional Health

San Juan Regional Medical Center now has a labyrinth in our beautiful Healing Garden to facilitate healing, promote health and encourage reflective meditation for our patients, visitors and community. A labyrinth is a sacred path that has long been used as a meditative and healing tool, offering gifts of insight, wisdom and peace. It was created as a memorial to honor the lives of the caregivers who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Family members of Lula Oldman, a phlebotomist in the Laboratory with 21 years of service; Lilly Tsosie, a phlebotomist in the Laboratory with 30 years of service; Glovis Foster, a Paramedic with EMS and AirCare with 23 years of service; and Sandra Greyeyes, a flight nurse with 25 years of service with AirCare, cut ribbons to officially open the labyrinth to the public, and were the first to set foot on the sacred path.

“We hope that what we do here can begin a new chapter in our Healing Garden,” San Juan Regional Medical Center President and CEO Jeff Bourgeois said. “Between the four of them, Lilly, Lula, Sandra and Glovis had many years of service. They were dedicated to making our community a better place. This is a fitting tribute to their lives and legacies.”

Coworkers shared stories and fond memories. Some of those can be read on our website: https://www.sanjuanregional.com/covid-journal/labyrinth. Glovis was remembered for always being happy and making everyone around him smile. Lilly and Lula were remembered for their kindness, skills, patience and encouragement. Sandra was remembered for the compassion and energy that made her an inspiration to the nurses around her.

“As long as we live, you four heroes too live on, for now you are a part of our memories, and this dedicated place. Sandra, Lilly, Lula, Glovis, your memories are a blessing forever. Rest in peace,” said Rev. Linda Stetter, San Juan Regional Medical Center’s Chaplain.

At the end of the ceremony, family members released white doves as more doves were released from the rooftop as a symbol of hope and peace. It is our hope that the labyrinth will serve as a pathway for emotional healing and inner peace for all who enter, and as a lasting tribute to our caregivers who ultimately gave their lives for our community.

San Juan Regional Medical Center’s labyrinth is a Chartres labyrinth, the same design laid in the floor at Chartres Cathedral in France. The way in is the way out. The path is clear and well-defined, which is why walking a labyrinth is a useful tool for relaxing and discovering answers to our deepest questions. The journey is often a spiritual one, giving participants an opportunity to refocus and concentrate on meditation, movement and reflective contemplation. We invite our community members to walk our labyrinth, and to learn more about it here: https://www.sanjuanregional.com/labyrinth.