For over three years, Alex Dousdebes has quietly shown up in hospital rooms where families are coping with fear, grief and loneliness.
Twice a week, Dousdebes volunteers as a hospital chaplain in critical care units in California, offering comfort and support to patients and families during some of life’s hardest moments.
Dousdebes has been with Mutual of Omaha since 2011. Today, she works on the STEPS team, educating employees nationwide about the company’s benefits — work that’s been deeply shaped by her experience as a volunteer.
Having sat with families facing loss and uncertainty, Dousdebes brings a rare level of empathy to her role helping people understand why having insurance matters, while offering the same steady presence and care that define her volunteer work.
Helping people cope and stay connected
“I work in critical care units,” she said. “These are spaces where patients are often isolated, families are making impossible decisions and emotions run high.” In those moments, Dousdebes doesn’t offer answers or fixes — she simply offers her presence.
At the heart of her work is a simple but powerful commitment: showing up for people who might otherwise be alone.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dousdebes began doing hospital visits with her church as a volunteer.
“I saw people that no one was visiting, and it started breaking my heart,” she said.
That heartbreak became a call to action. Dousdebes pursued training as a chaplain and began volunteering regularly, focused on ensuring no one had to face illness, fear or death without a human connection.
Dousdebes said her role isn’t tied to a single belief system, “Regardless of the patient’s spiritual preference, we don’t have a religion at the hospital.”
Compassion, support and listening
What matters most is being there and listening.
“What we call our ministry is a ministry of presence and listening,” Dousdebes said. “We just open the door for people to talk and vent and say what they need to say.”
Sometimes this means sitting in silence. Sometimes it means guiding families through conflict or grief. And sometimes it means being there to offer the most basic form of comfort: human touch.
“I have patients who tell me they just want someone to hold their hand,” Dousdebes said.
Many of the moments Dousdebes experiences are intense because she’s supporting frightened patients, grieving families and loved ones trying to say goodbye. The comfort she provides can ripple far beyond the patient’s room.
In one especially meaningful moment, Dousdebes described supporting a family after a loved one passed away. As part of the process, she helped create a framed keepsake that captured the patient’s final heartbeat and the words shared by family members.
“She just grabbed it, held it to her chest and started crying,” Dousdebes said. “She said, ‘I was there when that last EKG happened and this is the last breath he took with me.’”
What it means to be a volunteer
When asked why this work is so important, Dousdebes’ answer is simple yet powerful: “Sometimes people are alone, and you don’t want anyone to go through awful things or to even pass away alone.”
Supporting others through grief and loss takes a toll and Dousdebes is honest about how important self-care is.
“I have my pets. Those are my go-to,” she said. Long walks, time at the beach and moments to simply breathe also help her reset. “I just sit down and look at the ocean, breathe and do nothing.”
She also finds joy and grounding in staying connected with her grandchildren. “I FaceTime with my grandkids,” Dousdebes said.
These moments help her return again and again, ready to offer comfort to someone who needs it most. “I always say, even if it’s a little drop of sunshine in someone else’s life, that’s all I need to do.”
Through listening, presence and compassion, Alex Dousdebes embodies what it means to be a person with purpose, reminding us that sometimes the most meaningful support we can offer is simply being there.