School: Haverford

In his The New York Times article “What Our Cells Teach Us About a Natural Death,” Haider Warraich writes, “We humans spend much of our lives denying death. Death, however, is not the enemy. If there is an enemy, it is the fear that death arouses.” I felt this enemy besiege my family as my … Continue reading “A New Perception of Death – My Experience as a Hospice Volunteer”

Despite my interest in medicine and treatment of the ill throughout most of my life, death and dying have always been fairly distant concepts. When I once imagined medicine I fell into the trap, one that I believe is very common in society, that medicine is all about life: treating illnesses that challenge life, prolonging … Continue reading “Acknowledging Death”

The year I have spent as a Hospice volunteer unfolded in two phases. The first was centered around Mona. Twice a week starting in October, I signed in to the weathered Hospice facility binder and knocked on her door. I quickly learned not to expect a response. Mona is a woman of few words, limited … Continue reading “The Women of Rosemont”

I visited Maria from the beginning of the program through mid-February. The first time I visited I introduced myself, and she slept the whole visit. Little did I know then how my following visits would be filled with stories, kindness, and laughter. She would often repeat her favorite stories in one visit word for word with … Continue reading “Saying Goodbye”

I did not know what to expect when I arrived for my first visit as a hospice volunteer. I only had the information I was given beforehand. I was told that many patients in hospice have dementia or can be reluctant to respond, and I was a little nervous that I may have a difficult … Continue reading “Death Is Not All About Sadness”

During my time in this Pre-Med Hospice Program, I have been lucky enough to make four wonderful friends to people who have entered the final stage of their lives. However, one of these relationships had a deeper impact on me than the others. Part of the reason why I think I had a deeper relationship … Continue reading “Lessons of a Hospice Volunteer”

I had the pleasure of spending an hour with Sally nearly every Sunday from October through April. Although Sally initially seemed indifferent to my visits, she warmed to me overtime. By December, Sally remembered me between visits and would smile upon my arrival. After winter break, when I hadn’t seen her for a full month, Sally … Continue reading “My Time with “Sally””

I was privileged enough have the same hospice patient the entirety of my hospice experience. It was very interesting to not only be able to watch my patient’s health as it progressed, and declined. But it was also interesting to be able to watch as our relationship developed. I had a very rough start with … Continue reading “Seeing Friendship Blossom”

I’ve always been fascinated with the complexity and mysteries of the human body, and how medicine attempts to solve the puzzling questions of the human body. Medical school provides a comprehensive scope of knowledge that a doctor will need to know when treating and diagnosing patients. However, programs such as Holisticare Hospice exposes students to … Continue reading “Lessons to be Learnt”

I was lucky enough to be with my patient throughout the entirety of the semester. Although she rarely remembered my name and the details of my background, I could tell that she recognized my face and was happy to see me. This recognition and appreciation of my presence made this experience incredibly worthwhile, especially because … Continue reading “A New Perspective”