One of the most important things working with hospice taught me was my view on death. As said in “Being Mortal”, being a physician or studying in medicine, we often think that it is our responsibility to beat death and overcome it. But death is a part of life and there is no stopping it. … Continue reading “A New Perspective on Death”
My Hospice Experience
Our hospice patient is a 68 year old woman who is diagnosed with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma and brain cancer. Currently she is living at home with her loving husband who is her main caretaker. She and her husband met in Korea when he was stationed there in the military. Eventually they fell in love and moved … Continue reading “My Hospice Experience”
My Growth in Healthcare
Even though I am no longer planning on working in direct patient care, I find great value in my experiences this year in hospice care. Many of the skills I have learned from this experience have accumulated with each visit I made. Whatever path I choose, these values and skills will be at the forefront … Continue reading “My Growth in Healthcare”
Time Is A Gift
I first met Peter who was a patient suffering from Parkinson’s Disease back in September. The first time I met Peter, I had extreme difficulty speaking to him and understanding the words he spoke. I remember, right after that visit, I had utterly convinced myself that Peter would be a difficult patient to visit and … Continue reading “Time Is A Gift”
Looking the Inevitable in the Eyes
Before I had even returned to school, I had instilled the idea of the “two unfixables” – these being, according to Atul Gawande, aging and dying – into my mind. I knew that signing up to be a hospice volunteer would place onto me heavy responsibilities, one of them being to accept the prevalence of … Continue reading “Looking the Inevitable in the Eyes”
Thoughts from a Hospice Volunteer
I was initially unsure about joining this program due to my preconceived opinions on death and avoidance in topics surrounding death. I thought all doctors were to avoid death at all cost, and if this rule wasn’t abided, a doctor would be considered a failure. As it turned out, I was not the only person … Continue reading “Thoughts from a Hospice Volunteer”
What Patients Need Most: Empathy
This past summer after I was accepted into this program, I was on the other side of Hospice care. I watched one of my close cousins battle cancer and eventually she was put on hospice. Within just a week on hospice, she passed. After that, I was extremely nervous about doing this program because I … Continue reading “What Patients Need Most: Empathy”
Moments of Grace
As we played Evening Bells for “Jane”, I could see it touch her soul in a way words could not express, and tears begin to fall. “Jane”, in her late 90s, has a quiet strength and a deep love for music, particularly opera. Evening Bells is her favorite song—a piece that reminds her of simpler, … Continue reading “Moments of Grace”
How Volunteering in Hospice Transformed My Perspective
During my time volunteering in hospice care, I had the privilege of forming a meaningful relationship with one of my first patients, a former basketball coach. For the purposes of privacy protection, I’ll call him John. He was a warm and pleasant man, and our interactions developed into a bond similar to that of a … Continue reading “How Volunteering in Hospice Transformed My Perspective”
The Simplicity in Life’s Complexities
I have always been eager to learn, and I truly value how individual and unique the lives of humans are. We are all so complex and so beyond complete understanding of one another, so when I began my Hospice journey in September of 2024, I was most excited to sit down and hear of the … Continue reading “The Simplicity in Life’s Complexities”