School: Princeton

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”

To prepare for hospice I read essays and listened to interviews that reflected the intensity and gravity I expected from the experience. I watched documentaries from the perspective of hospice physicians and patients grappling with the heartbreaking decision to withdraw treatment. I imagined myself at the heart of these trying conversations and prepared myself for … Continue reading “Reflections on hospice and mundanity”

I am friends with Death. Perhaps, “friends” is not the correct word, rather I am an acquaintance of the faceless, omnipotent entity whose presence we are constantly reminded of in our lives. Whether in watching an ant clinging onto its last moments after being squashed or listening to news of a tragic bombing that news … Continue reading “Death and I: Understanding Death and the process of Dying through the Hospice System”