Volunteering My Grandfather

My family’s dog died of disease, my grandma’s father died of old age, and my mom as well as my dad’s wife died of cancer. My dad is just like his mom. They process the loss and move on. They don’t let it stop them. I am death denying like my brother is, except he accepts death while I push it away. I try to avoid it at all costs and since my mom died last month, I have pushed every feeling I can away. It surprised me how accepting of death my grandma was. For some reason, I thought she would be weary of death and not want to talk about it. I thought she would have been more like I am. When she said her most important loss helped her become a more compassionate nurse, I admired that. It gives me hope to use my personal loss as a motivation for my nursing career. After all, my mom always said she wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer (nursing is good enough, sorry mom!). From this assignment, I learned that you should not hold everything back. Everyone has their moments, but these moments cannot stop a person from doing things that need to be done. Remember the good and do not dwell on the bad my grandmother says. Push through and take breaks when needed. I learned that it is okay to take time to process everything and to express my emotions when needed. A person does not have to be strong all the time, and it is time I start to realize that. I have learned that I can live life how I want, or I can stay sheltered. Either way,

On May 11th 2013, my grandma passed away due to pancreatic cancer. A little later that year on September 25th, my mom received a call from my aunt in Guam that my dad had passed away in his sleep. Then on May 14th 2014, my grandpa passed from complications of an allergic reaction to a medication. So within a year, I was left to deal with three immediate family deaths, one right after another. Losing such important figures in one’s life could leave someone depressed and unmotivated to move on with their own life and to rise above those challenges is difficult, yet possible. During this time of hardship, I grew discouraged and saddened, but over time I became motivated to set aside these struggles and make a change.

However, when my father suffered a serious stroke in January of this year, I truly began to understand what it means to take care of someone as I took it upon myself to become his caretaker. My father 's deteriorated state was unforgettable; he was unable to fully function nor complete simple tasks or communicate his needs. So, I listened to his concerns and resolved to take care of everything in his absence. Although we initially struggled through the frustrations and challenges of his condition, we eventually

My own loss sparked a desire to help others through tough times. I therefore began volunteering at the Orlando Regional Medical Center, where I consoled people going through those times, and let them disclose their feelings with tears and words the way I needed to when I was in their shoes. Unfortunately, I also met people who were dying and had no visitors to support them through their death. For instance, I visited a woman on several occasions and shared a few laughs and stories with her. She ultimately died from C. difficile over a period of three weeks in the hospital. At those moments, I was glad patients like her had someone with them, even if I was a stranger to them. Still, there were much happier occasions where families learned their sons and daughters and parents were alive, recovering, or asking for their company. Through all this, I recognized the fear and pain they felt, and helped them move forward. Care, compassion, and empathy are all

Danielle Maestas June 16, 2015 CCU Application Essay Helping others has always been a core value in my life. I knew, at a very young age, that someday my role in life would be to help others on a daily basis. Over the years, I sought after employment in positions that would satisfy my passion for servanthood. As I got older, I felt like there was more I was capable of doing. My Grandparents have had a remarkable impact on my life. They raised my brother and I for a majority of our lives. In 2009, my Grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was rapidly spreading throughout his body. During the last months of his life I took on the role as his caregiver. At the time I did not have any prior medical training. The ability to care

My Grandfather died on December 5th, 2015. I was 15 at the time and I had only just started highschool as a junior a few months prior. I didn’t get to see him recently before his death, nor was I able to say goodbye to him before his passing. Instead, I got to wait patiently while the man I respected for so long took his last breath. I watched as he passed away, right in front of my eyes.

It was May 2006, my grandfather lay in his hospice bed, tired and weary, dying of pancreatic cancer. There was nothing I, or any one in my family could do for him. My grandfather was one of the biggest influences I had on my life, and here I was siting helpless as he was dying. However, there was one woman who was able to aid my grandfather in his midnight hour, nurse Judy. Nurse Judy would stay up all night and comfort my grandfather, and she acted quickly when he was in vital need of something. Nurse Judy was not only there for my grandfather but for the rest of my family as well. She would comfort my mother and grandmother, and explain various medical terminology to my brothers and I. It was during this tremendously difficult time in my life that I made the decision to become a nurse. I saw all of the good I can do for the patients, as well as their families just by being there for them during difficult times.

In 2012, my cousin suffered a severe heart attack which lead to heart failure. After witnessing someone I love suffer a life-changing event, it was important to find ways in which I could help. During her time in the hospital I cared for her children, encouraging them to remain positive around their mother, explaining how important their presence was to her recovery. I assisted in organizing a fundraiser that provided financial benefits for medical expenses. An extended hospital stay can create a feeling of isolation, and the fundraiser served as a physical reminder of the amount of support she had behind her during this battle. Childcare and fundraising were both pivotal ways in which I made a difference, but being present with my cousin at

Nothing could prepare me for the news I received six years ago about the unexpected death of my close friend Joey. I will never forget the night he died. How I had been with him just minutes before, and how his death was totally unnecessary and preventable. A few weeks before Christmas in 2001, Joey, myself and a few of my other co-workers were closing down the local restaurant we worked at while attending Umass Lowell. It had been a busy night, and we didn't end up finishing work until 1am. Having worked all day, we were all extremely tired, and could not wait to go home. Most of us were staying in Lowell at the time, but Joey had chosen to commute to campus and therefore had to travel out to Reading. I

It’s August 28th, 2015 I had just moved to Grand Valley State University two days ago. Its 6:15am. My cell phone is ringing. It was my brother and I thought it was too early for him to be calling me, so I sent his call to voicemail, it rang again, I thought to myself, “Why on earth is he calling me at 6:15 in the morning it’s too early for this”, So I finally decided to answer the call and I got the news that my grandma passed away. It wasn’t totally unexpected, she was on hospice care an entire week before I left for college and I’ve watched her slowly deteriorate because of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.

In spring of 2002, my father-n-law had a stroke. At the time, we were not sure if he would survive the incident, however, in hindsight, it may have been better that he did not, but he did and the aftermath was a hard consequence.

Have you ever felt so broken and lost that you believed you simply couldn’t keep going on in life, as if the barriers of your life caved in and suffocated the very existence in which you lived? This pain was all that I knew in the months following my grandfather’s loss to cancer in July of 2008. Fighting until his dying breath, it was a moment in my life that rocked and shattered my heart like fragile glass. His death required me to adapt to and appreciate life and showed me that no obstacle is to big overcome if you maintain hope and a positive outlook.

I spent a good part of my childhood visiting my grandfather in the hospital. Those will be the best and worst memories of my childhood. I loved going to visit my grandfather but I also hated it. I loved going to the hospital because I loved seeing the doctors and nurses in action. I loved seeing how they handled their patients and I looked up to them because of how they took care of my grandfather. But I also hated going to the hospital because that’s where you would see so many people spending their last few days or hours with their families and that just made me have a mournful feeling deep down in my chest. I have always looked up to my grandfather. I was his right hand man or in this case his “right hand granddaughter.” He was my best friend, my hero and a second father figure growing up because even though he was battling cancer he still was the

This event shaped my compassionate side and now I can use my words and actions to help lift up others when things just aren’t going their way. I’m able to encourage others and also feel for them because I myself, have walked in their shoes too. I can love others as I am called to and help them see the light at the end of the tunnel through the compassion and sympathy I have in my heart. This side of me may have never come out if I hadn’t experienced the loss of my amazing uncle.

It was near the end of winter 2005, when my grand-aunt suddenly fell ill. In a short period of time her illness worsened and the doctors informed my family, my grand-aunt only had a couple of months to live. The news was devastating to my family as we watched a vivacious, independent, and outspoken woman, who enjoyed shopping, reading mystery novels and spending time with family become very weak and confined to her bed. Instead of placing my grand-aunt in a hospice facility, my family and I, with the assistance of a hospice nurse cared for my grand-aunt in her home until her passing.