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Forget adjusting to the dreaded D1 year. These new students found time for their studies — and a worthy cause.

When patients at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas are in need of life-saving transplants but live more than 50 miles from the hospital, Twice Blessed House serves as a crucial home away from home during rehabilitation.

In the midst of preparing for a major surgery quickly, it’s easy for patients and their families to forget to pack essential hygiene items for their stay at the units, located just blocks from campus at the Marquis on Gaston apartments. That is what Housing Coordinator Shawna O’Brien and staff at Twice Blessed House explained to D1 Ken Nwankwo when he stopped by their office late this summer to learn about their program.

Just as Labor Day weekend approached, Nwankwo returned to Twice Blessed House, this time with several classmates and 45 gift baskets. Each contained the essentials, ranging from toothbrushes and toothpaste to activity books and pens. D1s also tucked a note of encouragement snugly inside each basket.

“Many patients and their families will be blessed by your generosity and caring spirit,” Dr. Ernestine Lacy, executive director of student development and multicultural affairs, wrote in an email to D1 students. “We are very proud of our students! They do some amazing things!”

—Jenny Fuentes