Spectrum News 1: Volunteer Prescribes a Dose of Magic
Spectrum News 1 recently featured Cedars-Sinai volunteer Patricia Magicia Marquis, who prescribes a dose of magic to surprise and delight patients admitted to the medical center.
Marquis is one of three volunteers at Cedars-Sinai who perform magic tricks with cards, ropes and other novelties for patients. The medical center's Volunteer Services program includes more than 2,000 volunteers, who on average, stay with the hospital for more than four years. Some even stay for decades.
After a successful career bringing high-end European lingerie retailers to the U.S. market, Marquis was eager to find an additional passion that would also allow her to give back to her community. At the same time, she lost a close family friend to blood cancer when he was just 32 years old. The experience left her knowing she wanted to become a hospital volunteer.
After studying and training for years at the Magic Castle, Marquis chose her stage name--Patricia Magicia--and began performing on her own and perfecting her skills. In addition to her weekly visits to Cedars-Sinai, Marquis performs at the Magic Castle, an orphanage in Tijuana and at local veterans’ hospitals.
“My goal is to make patients feel wonderful and relaxed and have a good giggle, if I can, because I can’t change their pain, but I can change how they will feel,” Marquis told Spectrum News 1.
Marquis reached that goal when she performed for patient Loretta Moscozo, who recently had major surgery on her cervical spine. Moscozo watched Marquis perform while Spectrum News 1 filmed the encounter.
The performance “made me remember what it was like to be a kid and took my mind off my pain,” Moscozo said.
Click here to watch the complete Spectrum News 1 story.
Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Meet POOCH Volunteer Team Dodger and Julie