This past academic year, my senior research thesis topic for my chemistry major was on the synthesis of enzyme inhibitors as potential anti-cancer drugs. I had chosen to work on this project because I knew there could be a deeper purpose in the work that I did. I knew that if these compounds that I … Continue reading “A Moment In Time With Ms. Kate”
Program Year Ending: 2015
Program Year Ending 2015
Death In A Different Light
The prospect of death has always been an unknown that has always brought about emotions of anxiety and fear for me. However, volunteering for Holisticare Hospice this past year has allowed me to view death in a different light than I once did. The different perceptions of death that I began to have were fostered … Continue reading “Death In A Different Light”
She had worked in a nursing home for a significant portion of her life
I only knew Mrs. T for a short time before she passed. My knowledge of her was constrained to such a small context. I knew Mrs. T as someone who enjoyed sitting in the sunroom just by the nurse’s station, as someone who was not afraid to ask for a hug, and as someone who … Continue reading “She had worked in a nursing home for a significant portion of her life”
My experiences reaffirmed my desire to be “a really weird doctor”
I always knew that the patients in hospice would pass away. After all, that’s why they were admitted to the program. But it was still a shock to me when I heard that ‘Mabel’ died before I could visit her as I had planned to do the next day. I had realized from our last … Continue reading “My experiences reaffirmed my desire to be “a really weird doctor””
Death should not prevent a physician from interacting and giving emotional support to a patient
I was often told that one of the hardest challenges a medical practitioner will face is the death of their patients. A physician must accept that no matter how skilled they are or how hard they try, there will be a number of patients that they cannot save. This grim reality did not deter me … Continue reading “Death should not prevent a physician from interacting and giving emotional support to a patient”
Death as a process that is inherently social and quite active.
I have come to appreciate death as a process that is inherently social, and one that is quite active. As a hospice volunteer, my presence is not constant, but regular. And in this time, I have come to appreciate my relationship with the hospice patient—no matter how strong—as one that places me in the process … Continue reading “Death as a process that is inherently social and quite active.”
Hospice patients wish to be treated as the living, not as the dying.
When asked to summarize my feelings towards my hospice experience in a poem or in a few sentences, this is what came to my mind: While hospice, in the sense of time, is the precursor to death, hospice is a moment to celebrate life, a time to reflect, remember or forget, grieve, say goodbye. It … Continue reading “Hospice patients wish to be treated as the living, not as the dying.”
The relationship I built with her is one that I will value and remember forever
The relationship that I developed with Mary through the Pre-med Hospice Program is one that I will never forget. For most of this school year, I looked forward to visiting Mary at Devon Manor. Every week, I would walk into her room and see her warm smile. She was so excited to have a visitor, … Continue reading “The relationship I built with her is one that I will value and remember forever”
I saw how meaningful the final steps before passing are
Before entering this program, I experienced the death of two grandparents within six months of each other. The deaths each had their own impacts on me but when I look back at them in comparison to each other, I saw how meaningful the final steps before passing are. Having the opportunity to be part of … Continue reading “I saw how meaningful the final steps before passing are”
I’m so glad you are here…
April 22nd, 2015 As I walk into the small bedroom, I see a small, elderly woman reclining peacefully in her bed. Our eyes meet as I get closer, and hers gleam as if with recognition, though we’ve never met before. She is overjoyed that I, her presumed daughter, have come to see her in this … Continue reading “I’m so glad you are here…”