From new babies to devastating illnesses, Robert and Janice Beecham have been through many of life’s ups and downs over more than four decades of marriage. And Parkland has been with them every step of the way, providing the care they need to keep the high school sweethearts young at heart.
Visit with Robert and Janice Beecham, and you can’t help but notice they have something special. The teasing, smiles and spark in their eyes reveal a love that is committed for better or worse. Their “for better” started in high school when Robert was a basketball player and Janice was a cheerleader.
“Someone dared me to kiss him, and I said, ‘Robert Beecham, come over here.’ I stood up on a chair because he was so tall and I did it,” she said with a laugh. “And then I couldn’t get rid of him.”
Married almost 47 years with three sons and six grandkids, the Beechams have stayed strong through their better and worse. Parkland has been at the heart of navigating some of the worst.
“Parkland has been so, so good to us,” said Robert, putting his arm around Janice. From primary care at community health centers to more acute care at the hospital, Parkland has taken care of the Beechams for decades. Robert’s history with Parkland goes back 67 years: he was born at Parkland hospital in 1954. More recently, Robert received care at Parkland for strokes in 2014 and 2016 and for COVID-19 in 2020.
“I’ve been rushed to Parkland three times and wasn’t sure I was going to make it back home,” he said. “God found a way to use the genius of the staff to patch me back together again.”
Janice had her first child at Parkland and has been treated for uterine and breast cancer at the hospital.
“Everybody has gone above and beyond every time we’ve been there,” she said.
When Robert got COVID-19 in March 2020, he was in the hospital for six days. Meanwhile, Janice was about to begin chemotherapy for breast cancer. She too got COVID-19 but a milder case.
While at Parkland, Robert’s doctor, Satyam Nayak, MD, encouraged him to make it home in time for his 46th wedding anniversary. Robert did, making him Dr. Nayak’s first patient to survive COVID-19. The men stayed in touch, and when it came time for Robert to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Nayak did the honors.
“I was so glad to see him, and I just about ran into Parkland with my sleeve rolled up to get the vaccine,” said Robert.
Through all of the better and worse, the Beechams have remained thankful. “I’m alive. I have my family,” said Janice. “I count it all joy.”
Robert echoes Janice’s gratitude.
“We’re just one story. Parkland has many, many stories of doing good,” he said. “The people at Parkland make things better in our community, and for that, I am thankful.”
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