San Antonio, TX — As San Antonio rallies behind the San Antonio Spurs with a proud “Go Spurs Go” during the NBA Finals, Methodist Hospital Westover Hills is celebrating a winning team of its own today on National Best Friends Day. The hospital is recognizing three Women’s Services Clinical Nurse Coordinators whose friendship has grown alongside their nursing careers and helped shape a supportive, collaborative culture within the department through years of caring for others together.
Virginia Cantu-Lacoy, Lucinda Crawford, and Victoria Villastrigo have shared more than a career in nursing. They've built a friendship that has followed them through different chapters of life and ultimately brought them together at Methodist Hospital Westover Hills. Today, all three are part of the Women's Services team, with Virginia and Lucinda serving in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Victoria caring for patients in Labor & Delivery.
The friendship began years ago when they first met as nurses early in their careers. When the opportunity arose to join Women's Services at Methodist Hospital Westover Hills, all three jumped at the chance to continue working together.
Their bond has also strengthened their work as nurses. Whether caring for newborns in the NICU or supporting mothers during labor and delivery, the three say having trusted friends nearby provides a unique source of support.
"You know you have that trust and support," said Victoria. "If you're in a moment where you're about to break, they're there to help you breathe."
Virginia believes the strength of their friendship comes from the way they continually support and encourage one another.
"Every puzzle has pieces," she said. "Sometimes you're not sure how they're going to fit together, but we fit together. We lift each other up, coach each other and help each other grow."
The bond shared by Virginia, Lucinda, and Victoria reflects a culture found throughout Women's Services at Methodist Hospital Westover Hills.
Team members describe Women’s Services as a close-knit department that supports one another through the joys and challenges that come with caring for mothers, babies, and families. That connection extends to patient care. Because they know and trust one another, the team can work seamlessly together, ask for help when needed, and focus on providing compassionate care during some of life's most important moments.
For Virginia, Lucinda, and Victoria, that culture is one of the reasons they continue to love coming to work each day. For patients, it is part of what makes the Women's Services experience at Methodist Hospital Westover Hills feel like family.