School: Swarthmore

With a peaceful voice and a smile on her face, she looked at me and said, “go ahead and be a doctor.” That day turned out to be my last session with my patient, whom I will call Jane for the sake of privacy, before she passed away.. That day, she was pale and her … Continue reading “When Two Artists Met”

Throughout the past few months as a hospice volunteer, the most important lesson illustrated to me is the essential nature of companionship at all stages of life. As a young person and college student with a strong family network, it can be easy to take for granted the consistency opportunities for conversation. Unfortunately in the … Continue reading “Companionship at All Stages of Life”

Before I started this program, I hadn’t given much thought to what the end of life is like. I didn’t like to think about death, and frankly, it’s because it scared me. In our culture, death is seen as the shutting of a door, an end to all things that we hold dearest, and something … Continue reading “Embracing Ephemerality”

There comes a time when everyone must reflect on their past. Whether it be in the face of a challenge or at the end of life, we can find ourselves dwelling on our failures or reliving joyous moments. Fortunately, many of us are able to extract meaning and impactful lessons from our past, and this … Continue reading “A Celebration of Life”

The pre-med hospice volunteer program has reduced and reshaped my fear of death. Coming into the program, I knew that my fear of death was irrational since it is inevitable. I was scared nonetheless because it is unknown. My religion, Christianity, does offer some comfort (as most religions do) but it does not completely eliminate … Continue reading “Grapling with Death: The Bigger Picture”

I wanted to volunteer for a hospice program after reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Before reading that book, I believed that a good life was a long life and that the role of doctors was to extend the life of their patients. I had never considered what a good death was or what it … Continue reading “Accepting My Ignorance”

On the morning of February 15th, on the way to the hospice center I had been volunteering at, I remembered a story the abbot of Mettavaranam Monastery told. He recounts that when he made his last visit to the Venerable Suvaco, who was nearing death and suffering from dementia due to brain damage, Ven. Suvaco … Continue reading “On Fleeting Commitments and Dying Well”

There is a difference between healthspan and lifespan, and at some point, one has to ask oneself when to stop trying new treatments if it comes at the cost of their overall happiness and well-being. What does it mean to aspire to live as long as possible if such days, weeks, months, or years are … Continue reading “In the Common Room”

My patient, whom I will refer to as George, is a 92 year old man with Alzheimer’s disease along with other medical diagnoses that impair everyday functioning. Due to his deteriorating mental and physical state, he resides in a locked unit. From the beginning of the hospice program, my volunteer partner and I learned about … Continue reading “The Conversation of End of Life”

During this past year, my experience as a hospice volunteer has allowed me to meet many patients and to reflect on my feelings about the process of death. While I was aware that I would be faced with death more than usual as a hospice volunteer, I did not expect it to affect me as … Continue reading “How My Hospice Volunteer Experience Influenced My Perspective on Death”