Physical rehabilitation therapy patients in Mission Hills are often surprised when Providence Holy Cross Medical Center volunteer Tim Page stands at their door and knocks.

At 6' 4", 235 pounds, Page looks closer to a muscular orderly than a bedside visitor to the patients recuperating from strokes, brain injuries, joint replacements and other physical traumas.

He has come to take not the patients' temperature but their personal histories, for a pilot project called "My Story" introduced to the hospital about a year ago by Dominican Sister Colleen Settles, chief mission integration officer for Providence Health & Services, California.

With the help of Page at Providence Holy Cross and assistance by family members of intensive care patients at Providence Saint Joseph in Burbank, patient information ---ranging from what one prefers to be called to deeper subjects such as reflections about life --- is filled out on a shimmering pastel-colored poster that is affixed to the patient's hospital room wall.

Page, a parishioner at Our Lady of Peace Church in North Hills who single-handedly administers a non-profit prison ministry when not volunteering at Holy Cross, has interviewed about five new patients once a week for the last six months for My Story at Holy Cross.

"It's a lot of listening," said Page, 49, who originally moved to California in 1984 from Michigan to pursue an acting/modeling career, which he did for a few years before founding his full-time prison ministry in 1989. He believes his acting background and comedic skills help in both ministries, where making people feel at ease is imperative.

Page is attentive to each patient's biographical information, writing their responses down for future transcription with colorful Sharpee pens on the My Story poster. "They'll say, 'I don't know why I'm telling you this.' I'm honored they share their stories with me," said Page.

Highlights for Page include historical references in people's personal stories, such as hearing about patients' military service/experiences during WWII. "That's really been a touching thing for me. Patients don't get a chance to share [these kinds of stories]," commented Page.

Whitney Klein, 33, Holy Cross speech therapist, says she always checks to see what Page has written on the My Story poster, since the information often becomes a springboard for conversation during treatment. "It's neat learning more about the patients," said Klein.

"I know it's a successful project because I've had patients mention Tim's visit," said Moonyeen Brubaker, supervisor of acute rehabilitation therapy at Holy Cross. "We needed someone who would take the initiative to get this off the ground, and he's perfect. He has a lively personality and the patients appreciate the time he takes to get to know them," said Brubaker.

For patient Elisa Farley, 46, sharing her story with Page, or "John Wayne" as she recently referred to him while crossing paths in the hospital hallway, has been a positive experience on the road to healing. "He's just like everyone else in this hospital," said Farley. "He's a walking angel."