Patient Stories

After about a year of retirement, spending many days enjoying the things that I had missed while working, I decided that it was the right time to volunteer somewhere.  I wanted to do something useful and interact with others.  I had a few other requirements such as the volunteer work needed to be fun and within a reasonable distance from my home.  I decided that volunteering at a hospital would be worth a try, so filled out an application at both BJC hospitals in St. Charles.  The process took a few months but I was accepted at both, then ask to choose what job I was interested in doing. 

One of the job choices at Progress West was called Patient Stories, which I immediately chose.  The job was to go talk to patients asking questions that would help me write a mini biography of their life.  It highlighted hobbies, careers, travel, education and other interesting stories and was just a fun way to interact with the patient and hopefully took their mind off of the medical problems.  Once I got the story I typed it up and presented them a few copies that they could take home and share with their family plus maybe expand upon later.  I really enjoyed chatting with the patients and I got the sense that most of them enjoyed the conversation as well plus I noticed that they were very appreciative when they received the typed version of their story. 

What I found most interesting is that some would state up front that they just had a normal life and their story would be boring but in reality that wasn’t the case.  Once I started asking questions the information flowed quickly and many times they would laugh while telling a story but I did intentionally ask a few silly questions just to lighten the mood.  It is fun to sit down with a stranger and just laugh at some of the real life stories they tell me and the more I laughed the more they did.  How often do you hear laughter coming from a hospital room?  I am more comfortable with interviewing patients than I was initially and because of that I am enjoying it even more.

I have heard personal stories about famous people (Elvis, Yogi Berra, Blues Hockey Team, Oprah, Prince Charles, Frank Sinatra, etc.), sad stories, inspiring stories, travel adventures and many funny stories plus I have learned about the inventive ways kids would entertain themselves, jobs they took as kids and their family life.

I have also found that the nurses enjoy reading the stories not because I write that well but because the patients have great life stories.  The key point of this article is that we all have good stories to tell some maybe great stories. Your stories need to be shared with your family and others so write them down and whenever you get a chance, listen to someone’s story you might be surprised how interesting it will be.

My belief is that in life after you've covered the basics it's not all about the money or status you’ve attained but the stories you leave behind.