Coming to UCLA is Like Coming Home

“Little did I know that there was kind of a time bomb within me,” says Michael P. Richards, a patient liaison volunteer at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center who checked into the emergency room after having trouble walking. “I was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer in March of 2014. I’m so prejudiced because of this hospital and my career here as UCLA faculty administration, but it was my UCLA family that got me through this period. Even though chemotherapy was not something fun, I always felt like coming to UCLA was like coming home. I owe everything to my doctors and UCLA. Now, when I’m volunteering, and someone comes in for the same thing I went through, I understand their journey and can say, ‘I’m well, due to this hospital. You will be too.’”