We Show Up®: The Legacy of a Father

Brownsville, Texas — At Valley Regional Medical Center, "We Show Up®" is more than a phrase. It's a commitment to our patients, our colleagues, and our community. For many employees, it's also a value first learned at home.

This Father's Day, four Valley Regional families remind us that showing up takes many forms—showing up for patients, for coworkers, and for the people we love. Through decades of service, fathers Ramon Leos, Pete Aguirre, Deacon Noe Longoria and Juan Garza have demonstrated what that commitment looks like, inspiring the next generation to follow their example.

For Ramon, Pete, Noe, and Juan, fatherhood and service have always been connected. Each has built a respected career at Valley Regional while helping guide the next generation toward lives rooted in compassion, responsibility, and purpose.

Today, their children walk the same halls, serve the same mission, and carry forward many of the values their fathers worked so hard to instill.

For Ramon Leos, director of laboratory services, one of the greatest joys has been watching his children discover careers that bring them fulfillment. His daughter, Karina, serves as an ICU nurse, while his son, Mario, works in Supply Chain.

Their paths were different, but both eventually found their way into healthcare.

When Karina struggled through the demands of an accelerated nursing program, Ramon encouraged her to keep going. He reminded her that challenges are temporary and that perseverance matters. Today, she cares for critically ill patients with the same determination she demonstrated as a student.

Mario followed a different route into healthcare. When a Supply Chain opportunity opened at Valley Regional, Ramon encouraged him to consider it. Since then, Mario has established himself as a dependable and valued member of the team.

Ramon encouraged him to consider it, and Mario has since become a valued part of the team. Though he has been with Valley Regional for less than a year, his father regularly hears positive feedback from colleagues about his attentiveness and work ethic.

“A lot of people run into me and say, ‘You have a very attentive young man as a son,’” Ramon shared.

For Mario, the lessons his father modeled—hard work, punctuality, respect, and speaking up when something is not right—continue to guide the way he shows up each day.

For Ramon, those moments of recognition are deeply meaningful.

"Every time someone says something positive about them, it fills my heart," he shared.

Throughout his career, he has emphasized a simple lesson: find work that gives you purpose and commit yourself fully to it.

Across campus, another father and daughter share a similar bond.

Pete Aguirre, director of quality, has spent 25 years helping advance patient safety and quality care. His daughter, Melody, now works as a Patient Care Technician while completing nursing school.

For as long as she can remember, Melody wanted to work in healthcare.

She watched her father dedicate himself to serving others while remaining deeply committed to his family. Even after long days, he always made time for the people who mattered most.

"I wanted to be just like him when I grew up," Melody said.

Over time, their relationship evolved from parent and child to mentor and colleague. While Pete once expected to guide Melody through every aspect of healthcare, he now finds himself learning from her as well. Together, they share experiences, advice, and a mutual respect that continues to grow.

At the center of Pete's guidance are values that extend beyond any job title: integrity, ethics, teamwork, and doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

Those lessons continue to shape Melody's journey as she prepares to become a nurse.

The Longoria family adds another dimension to what it means to show up: offering comfort, compassion, and spiritual support during moments of crisis.

As a chaplain at Valley Regional Medical Center, Deacon Noe Longoria provides emotional and spiritual support to patients and families during some of life's most difficult moments. For more than two years, he has helped people find comfort, hope, and strength during times of illness and uncertainty.

Today, his son, Noe Longoria Jr., serves in Supply Chain as an Equipment Technician, ensuring caregivers have the resources they need to provide excellent patient care.

Though their responsibilities are very different, both see a common purpose in their work.

"At the end of the day, we both share the same goal of serving our patients," Noe Jr. said.

When Noe Jr. expressed interest in working in healthcare, his father was delighted. He viewed the opportunity not only as a chance for professional growth, but also as a way for them to share experiences while serving others together.

For Noe Sr., one lesson has always been most important: helping people.

He hopes his son will find work that brings fulfillment while never losing sight of the value of compassion, kindness, and service to others.

Working in the same hospital has strengthened their bond in meaningful ways. Each morning, Noe Jr. hears his father's prayer over the hospital intercom before beginning his day.

"It sets a positive mindset," he said. "It reminds you to treat everyone with kindness and be grateful."

The qualities Noe Jr. admires most in his father are the same qualities that have defined his ministry—compassion, kindness, and a steady commitment to helping people through difficult circumstances.

Those lessons have become guiding principles in his own life.

"He's always told me to be kind to everyone and help those in need," Noe Jr. said. "Small acts of kindness go a long way."

Their story serves as a reminder that healthcare is about more than treatments and procedures. It is also about supporting people emotionally, spiritually, and personally during moments when they need it most.

For Juan Garza, service at Valley Regional has become a family tradition.

A member of the Food and Nutrition Services team since the hospital first opened at its current location, Juan has spent 27 years helping support patients and caregivers behind the scenes. His wife also works at Valley Regional, and today their daughter, Mariela, is part of the Environmental Services team.

Long before Mariela became an employee, the hospital was already a familiar place. As a child, she spent time here after school, surrounded by coworkers who became an extended family. In fact, her connection to Valley Regional began even earlier—she was born at Valley Regional Medical Center.

"I grew up in this hospital," she said.

In many ways, Mariela's story has come full circle. Born at Valley Regional, raised around the hospital through her parents' careers, and now serving alongside them as a member of the team, she represents a new generation carrying forward a family tradition of service.

When she joined Valley Regional after high school, Juan was proud—but not surprised.

He had spent years teaching the importance of responsibility, honesty, and showing up for others. Today, those lessons are reflected in Mariela's work ethic and commitment to her team.

Whether answering a call to come in on a day off or supporting coworkers whenever needed, she demonstrates the same dependability her parents modeled throughout her life.

Though their roles differ, the stories of these four families share a common thread.

Each father taught lessons that cannot be found in a textbook or training manual. They taught their children to work hard, treat people with respect, act with integrity, and remain committed to serving others.

Those values have become part of a legacy that extends beyond their own families.

At Valley Regional Medical Center, that legacy can be seen in patient rooms, nursing stations, laboratories, the kitchen, supply rooms, hallways and offices throughout the hospital. It lives on through the people who continue to carry those lessons forward every day.

This Father's Day, we celebrate the fathers, mentors, and role models whose influence reaches far beyond their own careers. Through their example, they help shape future generations of caregivers, leaders, and healthcare professionals.

For Ramon, Pete, Noe and Juan, perhaps the greatest reward is not the years they have spent serving Valley Regional—it is seeing their children continue that tradition of service with pride, compassion, and purpose.

That is a legacy worth celebrating.

Happy Father’s Day.