Giving up wasn’t an option for Sharmell Branch after she met a 23-year-old patient who was battling a rare stomach cancer. The father of four, who was facing a terminal illness, was desperate for a medical miracle, but when he learned that his body had stopped responding to treatment, he was willing to settle for something smaller — he just wanted his mom. Branch, a tenacious and empathetic social worker at Pennsylvania Hospital, was committed to making his wish come true.
The patient had moved from Guatemala 10 years prior, but most of his family still lived there. Branch established contact and began cutting through red tape to coordinate an international visit. After being denied visas for a family visit, the patient’s loved ones decided their best chance for success would be to send his mother alone. She applied for a visa again, but even with an immigration lawyer supporting her case, her second request was also denied. It seemed as though she would never make it to her terminally ill son’s bedside. But Branch wasn’t willing to concede.
“Shamell navigates systems left and right on behalf of patients,” said Social Work team lead Bridget Ferris. “She embodies every social work value: compassion, empathy, meeting people where they are. She asks people, ‘What do you want?’ And then makes it happen. She’s changing people’s lives; her interventions are life-altering.”
Branch personally reached out to PA Senator Bob Casey, worked with his staff to secure a two-month humanitarian aid visa, and found generous private benefactors to cover the mother’s airfare costs. While the journey from Guatemala to Philadelphia was full of obstacles — including the woman being falsely barred from her first flight — Branch’s unwavering dedication, creative problem-solving, and above-and-beyond advocacy ensured this poignant family reunion was a success.
“My intention is to treat each of my patients as though they’re members of my own family. Making sure that everyone has the access to the resources they need is pertinent and a job that I take very seriously. In many cases, it is the difference between life and death, and I’m continuously learning how to navigate systems left and right on behalf of my patients,” Branch said. “Helping a patient return home to a different country to see their family before they die, or granting the last wish of a dying patient to just see the sky again — I don’t see this as going above and beyond. I do this because that’s what should be done.”
At Penn Medicine, we all aspire to be Difference Makers who represent the Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) in action. PMX sets a consistent standard across all of our entities and work locations to make every touchpoint an opportunity to build enduring connections with patients, families, visitors, and colleagues, which is a foundational part of the UPHS Success Share program.