Respiratory therapists deliver compassionate care to their patients every day and never expect to receive anything special in return.

Roland Peña, RRT, is no exception — so you can imagine his surprise when he learned the parents of one of his home care patients had decided to honor the care he had provided to their son by establishing the first endowed chair in respiratory therapy at his alma mater, the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) at San Antonio.

“I could not even have written this script if I tried,” says Peña, who currently works for Aircare Home Respiratory in San Antonio. “This is really surprising to me and my family.”

Robert Wilkins, PhD, RRT, FAARC, program director at UTHSC, says the school first learned the grant would be coming their way about a year ago. The contribution got started when friends and family of philanthropists Ann and Sam Barshop, who are well known in the city for their good works, raised $270,000 for respiratory research in honor of the couple’s 55th wedding anniversary. Then, at a luncheon held to announce the gift, the Barshops decided to match that amount, bringing the total to more than $500,000 to establish the Steven Lloyd Barshop Chair in Respiratory Care at the Health Science Center.

“The family is so humble and caring I am not shocked that Mr. Barshop doubled the amount right there on the spot,” says Peña, who notes the announcement generated “amazing sighs followed by tears” among the crowd.

The gift will be put to good use, says Dr. Wilkins. “This department has always put a large emphasis on service to the community and the profession. The donation will fund more opportunities for us to move this agenda forward.” He also gives a lot of credit to the UTHSC development officer who worked with the family on the gift. “She got a big hug from each faculty member in the department.”

But the contribution clearly stems from Roland Peña and the care he provided to Steven Barshop before he passed away in 2002. “Roland is not only a very sharp RT, he also has a lot of compassion for his patients. He developed a strong rapport with Steven Barshop as his caregiver and it became very clear to the family that their relationship was special,” says Dr. Wilkins.

Peña says he first met Steve Barshop when the family placed an ad for a weekend caregiver and he decided to apply for the job to supplement his regular income as an RT. “Steve suffered from a rare form of neuromuscular disease,” explains the therapist. ”I provided respiratory care in the home that included oxygen therapy, percussive therapy, suctioning, SpO2 monitoring, nebulizer treatments, and prescribed medication.”

But the assignment, he says, quickly developed into something more. “It was all about timing in our short time we knew each other. I had just lost my older brother one year before we met, so there was a void that was filled by Steve.” For Barshop, Peña and his family, which included his two young daughters, became like a second family.

“The relationship was 10% work and 90% brotherly,” says the therapist, who cared for Barshop for 5 years, often filling in during the week too when other caregivers were unable fulfill their assignment. “We soon would be taking Steve on family outings that included the park, restaurants, and fishing trips. My daughters were a special joy to him and made him laugh the most. Steve never had children of his own but would have made a wonderful father.”

Peña was on hand for the luncheon held to bestow the award on the university, and describes it as a joyful occasion for all concerned. “I was happy for the school and staff there. The true joy came from seeing the smiles on the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Barshop as the memory of their son Steven was being honored that day. It made me feel that the work I did for Steven was truly appreciated by his family.”

Robert Wilkins says the experience just goes to show that goodness really is sometimes rewarded. “ You never know when an act of kindness will lead to something very special. Thanks to the bedside skills and kindness of one RT, now many RTs and their patients will benefit.”