100 Moments

10:10 10.10: Anatomy of a Moment

Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Las Vegas
7:10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time

Daybreak in the desert brings a new delivery of flowers. Carnations, to be exact. They come in different colors. Today’s batch is purple, as radiant as any of the neon on the nearby Las Vegas Strip.

John Mazur works the front desk. He opens the door for patients with early appointments. He summons the elevator for caregivers who are starting their shifts. And he tends to those beautiful blooms, trimming their stems and placing them in small vials of water to keep them fresh.

For John, the volunteer gig as a greeter is deeply rewarding. Having survived a stroke 20 years ago, he knows firsthand the challenges of an uphill patient journey. He has a family history of dementia, too.

Way back when, John was a television executive in Los Angeles. He got his start as a page on “The Tonight Show,” giving tours of NBC Studios and pointing out Johnny Carson’s parking space.

Nowadays, on any given morning at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, John might meet someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Or someone with Parkinson’s disease. Or someone with another degenerative neurological condition.

Whatever the case may be, he’ll offer a flower to every patient. “It’s a simple gesture,” he says, “but it brings a lot of joy to a lot of people.”

Photograph by Denise Truscello