A woman who spent decades caring for severely sick and terminally ill children in San Luis Obispo has died at the age of 96.
San Luis Obispo pediatrician Dr. Rene Bravo said de Groot was "a once in a generation person.”
She lived a remarkable life, one that left a lasting impact on the community she served.
After immigrating from Holland in the late 1950s, de Groot became a child nurse in the United States. In the mid-70s, she opened a home in San Luis Obispo to care for underserved children experiencing serious and terminal illnesses like shaken baby syndrome or children who nearly drowned, some even dying in her loving arms due to their situations.
For nearly four decades, the home that she owned was a staple in the community until its closing about 10 years ago when de Groot was in her mid-80s.
Dr. Bravo says the de Groot home was a unique and needed environment.
“Hospice would be the closest analogy, but it was a little different because she provided care that allowed these children to live their maximum lives in a quality way and that was what she was all about — providing a different level of care, loving them, and making sure that they had a good chance to succeed,” Dr. Bravo said.
De Groot’s daughter says her mother published an autobiography titled, "I Will Never Give Up." That mindset never let hardship or trauma stop de Groot from her everlasting goal of bettering the lives of children who had no one to care for them. Dr. Bravo agrees with that sentiment.
“I enjoyed her tenacity. She never gave up. That was her motto, 'Never give up,' so she... inspired me in many ways in my career,” Dr. Bravo said. “You don't meet many people like Sjany de Groot who had the dedication and love she had for the children that she cared for.”
A memorial service for de Groot will be held Saturday, Jan. 13, at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Foothill Boulevard in San Luis Obispo.
