School: Princeton

“Happy 91st birthday! I wish you a long and healthy life …” As I had been reading aloud all of the birthday cards that “Anna” had not been able to read due to her deteriorated eyesight, she stopped to comment at the end of this letter as she had with every other one. Usually, it … Continue reading “Birthday Card”

In the past, my friends would always joke around when trying to persuade me to take a leap of faith or do something outrageous by saying, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Immediately, I would respond with one simple phrase: “I could die.” Before working hospice, death was not a subject that I had ever … Continue reading “A Deeper Understanding”

I read Being Mortal a few years ago, and reading it was one of the main reasons I wanted to start volunteering with Ascend, to gather my own information to form opinions on end-of-life care. Even before reading this thought-provoking book, I had often held long philosophical debates late into the night with friends whose … Continue reading “New Perspectives”

A year is a long time to be visiting patients – or 7 months really. Looking back, a lot of my patients blur together especially since I didn’t often see the same patients for long periods of time. So what sticks out instead are the brief interactions, the ones that were unique and special and … Continue reading “Snippets from my past year as a hospice volunteer”

One of my most meaningful interactions during my hospice experience was a visit with a couple who had been together for 50 years, but who had only recently gotten married at the care center last year. While the husband Jack was deteriorating at a much faster rate than his wife Lisa, Lisa was able to … Continue reading “Small Gestures and Memories, and Carrying On Legacies”

As I begin to think about my potential career path, working at the pre-med hospice was the first step to help hone my career aspirations. One day as I volunteered there, I walked past a lovely lady who laid in bed silently, staring into the abyss through her glassy eyes. Her despondent stare pierced my … Continue reading “Just Sit Down and Listen”

What does dying look like or dying well or living well are they two separate things? i would guess that it is one process that we are choosing how we will die now we seem to pick paths without evidence without RHYME without REASON and if that is true what should we do what should … Continue reading “inspired by the end”

Death. A word typically tinged with sadness and heartache. Tears follow the remembrance of the loved one you have lost, and comforting words fail to make a change. Yet, what if death was not a process to mourn, but instead a process of final peace and hope? A family coming together to decide the most … Continue reading “A New Perspective on Death”

Volunteering at a hospice has been one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. And this is beyond the fact that it is time on a Saturday that I could otherwise be studying or exercising or hanging out with friends and that it takes nearly 40 minutes to drive to the … Continue reading “An Account of My Experiences”

One Saturday afternoon, I was sitting with a group of patients in the cafeteria. Suddenly, the oldest patient, a 90-year-old woman with poor sight, fumbles for my hand, raises it high, and tells me to shout after her, “Hallelujah!” I awkwardly follow but she squeals in delight, “I did that!” Still ecstatic, she points to … Continue reading “Hallelujah”