Sjany de Groot — caregiver of fragile children, ‘an icon of San Luis Obispo’ — dies at age 96

After a lifetime of caring for children with serious illnesses at her San Luis Obispo nursing home, caregiver Adriaantje Sjany de Groot died Jan. 4 at the age of 96.

For more than 30 years, De Groot provided 24-hour care for children with severe illnesses and disabilities at The de Groot’s Nursing Home for Medically Fragile Children in San Luis Obispo.

De Groot and her family, staff and a team of volunteers cared for children of all ages — some as young as 2 months old, others teenagers. All required intensive support for their medical conditions.

De Groot and her late husband lived in the facility and cared for the patients like they were their own children.

“She was a very remarkable person, certainly an icon of San Luis Obispo,” local pediatrician Dr. Rene Bravo said. “She should be extolled for being selfless, compassionate, kind and willing to do things that no one else wanted to do.”

SLO woman pioneers compassionate care for medically fragile children

In 1977, de Groot and her husband Rokus de Groot started caring for medically fragile children in their home, according to their daughter, Wendy de Groot, who published a piece in The Tribune in 2001.

“I see firsthand the utmost love, care, and dedication my parents have for these children in their home,” Wendy de Groot wrote. “My parents don’t take any vacations, and never have a day off. Their outings are going to the store and coming home with things — toys or clothes — for the children.”

Originally, the de Groots could care for up to six medically fragile children in their home — then Rokus built another facility that could accommodate up to 15 children, according to de Groot’s obituary.

When Dr. Bravo visited the nursing home for the first time during the 1980s, he said he was “amazed” by the compassionate care de Groot, her family, staff and volunteers provided the children.

“It really didn’t look like a hospital, it was built like a home,” Bravo said. “Her goal was to give them as good a life as possible.”

Many of de Groot’s patients had severe brain damage or genetic disabilities. Back in the 1980s, these children would have been hospitalized in a less comfortable environment, according to Bravo.

But de Groot’s patients “were getting personalized care — they were thriving,” Bravo said.

De Groot was famous in the California medical community for her compassionate care, and children’s hospitals across the state would contact her with potential clients, according to Bravo.

“The concept that she championed — home-style care with love and compassion — was something that, at least back in the 80s and 90s, was just starting to take hold,” Bravo said.

The nursing home closed in 2014 when the state withdrew its funding, but de Groot continued to care for her remaining patients, according to her obituary.

Bravo noted that de Groot was a “uniter.”

“Sjany did bring out the good in this community,” Bravo said. “They would rally around her and she won constantly in the court of public opinion because the people in this town people knew she was doing the right thing.”

She earned numerous accolades for her work, including the Presidential Recognition Award for Exemplary Community Service from President Ronald Reagan.

“I will miss her,” Bravo said. “Even in the dark times, she would smile.”

De Groot lived by motto, “I will never give up!”

De Groot was born in Rotterdam, a harbor town in the Netherlands, on Oct. 10, 1927, according to her obituary.

“When WWII came to her homeland, Sjany and her family suffered immensely,” the obiturary said. “Near death from starvation, constant bombings, and home insecurity are some of the horrors she experienced during this time.”

“Rising above the hardships and experiences of her young life are evidence of her tenacity and determination even as a child,” it continued.

After World War II ended, she attended nursing school in the Netherlands, and then met her husband, Rokus.

In 1959, she moved with her husband and children to San Luis Obispo, where she was hired as a night nurse at French Hospital.

She earned an associate degree in nursing from Cuesta College during the 1970s to supplement the Bachelor of Science in nursing she earned in the Netherlands.

“There were many challenges over the years, but she was driven by her motto ‘I will never give up!’” the obituary said. “And she didn’t!”

She is outlived by her brother, nine children, 17 grandchildren and 39 great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel at 651 Foothill Blvd. in San Luis Obispo.

People can also watch a livestream of the service at zoom.us/j/95748036300.

“She leaves behind a legacy of love, compassion and determination that will remain in the hearts of all whose lives she touched,” the obituary said.