Spectrum News 1 Volunteer Prescribes a Dose of Magic Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Patricia Marquis (aka Patricia Magicia) works her magic on Cedars-Sinai patients. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. Los Angeles, 15 June 2019 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Spectrum News 1 Volunteer Prescribes a Dose of Magic Spectrum News 1 recently featured Cedars-Sinai volunteer Patricia Magicia Marquis, who prescribes a dose of magic to surprise and delight patients admitted to the medical center. Marquis is one of three volunteers at Cedars-Sinai who perform magic tricks with cards, ropes and other novelties for patients. The medical center's Volunteer Services program includes more than 2,000 volunteers, who on average, stay with the hospital for more than four years. Some even stay for decades. After a successful career bringing high-end European lingerie retailers to the U.S. market, Marquis was eager to find an additional passion that would also allow her to give back to her community. At the same time, she lost a close family friend to blood cancer when he was just 32 years old. The experience left her knowing she wanted to become a hospital volunteer. After studying and training for years at the Magic Castle, Marquis chose her stage name--Patricia Magicia--and began performing on her own and perfecting her skills. In addition to her weekly visits to Cedars-Sinai, Marquis performs at the Magic Castle, an orphanage in Tijuana and at local veterans' hospitals. "My goal is to make patients feel wonderful and relaxed and have a good giggle, if I can, because I can't change their pain, but I can change how they will feel," Marquis told Spectrum News 1. Marquis reached that goal when she performed for patient Loretta Moscozo, who recently had major surgery on her cervical spine. Moscozo watched Marquis perform while Spectrum News 1 filmed the encounter. The performance "made me remember what it was like to be a kid and took my mind off my pain," Moscozo said. Click here to watch the complete Spectrum News 1 story. Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Meet POOCH Volunteer Team Dodger and Julie Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories Help Wanted Heart—Not Experience—Required September 20, 2022 07:30 AM America/Los_Angeles As the COVID-19 pandemic eases, many people are going back: back to work, back to school, back to normal lives.But one group that hasn’t gone back is the volunteers. Across the U.S., volunteer activity remains low, even as charitable giving has … Read more Even During Pandemic Volunteers Bring Comfort April 20, 2021 06:13 AM America/Los_Angeles The Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai sees more than 85,000 patients each year. Among the first to greet those patients and their loved ones–even during the coronavirus pandemic–are Cedars-Sinai’s blue-coated volunteers, who … Read more Cedars-Sinai Volunteer Delivers Hugs and Crocheted Hearts February 12, 2020 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Around Cedars-Sinai, Susan Nicholson is known simply as "the heart lady." That's because since 2013 Nicholson has been making and delivering roughly 50 crocheted hearts each week to patients, visitors and employees—anyone who looks … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release Spectrum News 1 Volunteer Prescribes a Dose of Magic Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home