Trust Me, Bob is Right...
May 05, 2010 | By: Jeffrey P. Bosworth, Hospice of the Comforter Volunteer
A couple of years ago, I attended a year-long Leadership Program in Seminole County where each month you visit a different facet of the community. On one particular day, the focus was Healthcare, and our first stop was Hospice of the Comforter.
President, CEO and Chaplain Robert G. (Bob) Wilson was our speaker. I remember being mesmerized by Bob’s passion for his work, the organization, and most importantly, other human beings. His words resonated with me: “If you volunteer here, you will get more out of this experience than our patients will.” And, I was thinking, how could that be?
Trust me, Bob is right...
I signed up for the volunteer training to become a volunteer who visits patients. I should mention here that I suffer from panic attacks, but decided that time is the most important gift we can give and that somehow, I had to reach outside of myself and be there for others.
My first patient, Elizabeth, was 94 and in a nursing home. I remember meeting her for the first time and wondered if she could communicate with me. When I told her she had a nice room, she answered me, saying, "I ought to, I pay enough for it!" What a laugh we had! And from that day on, I’m not sure if she knew who I was, but I know she knew I was there.
A couple of days before she passed, I visited her one night and it was dark in her room. As I stroked her forehead, she gazed at me with one of the most beautiful looks I’ve ever seen and said simply, "Thank you". They may have been the last words she ever spoke. That moment will remain with me for the rest of my life.
There are hundreds of thousands of people who give of themselves in service to others every day. I believe we need more of us giving more of ourselves, even if it is just a part-time offering such as mine.