Hand In Hand

[Glenda]

As most of you know I volunteer on Wednesday's in ICU. They are starting a new volunteer program at the hospital and they want me to join it also. It's called Hand in Hand. It's where patients without anyone to sit with them in their last hours will have someone there holding their hand. Occasionally dying patients have no family locally, or exhausted family members who can be with them who need a brief break. The Hand in Hand ensures no one dies alone. It will only be for 3-4 hours at the most and then someone else will take over. I will be on call, although I told them I couldn't work on Sunday's or my regular volunteer day, Wednesday. The lady that is heading this up gave me this statement and it says it all:

"Those who have the strength and love to sit with the dying patient in 'the silence that goes beyond words' will know that this moment is neither frightening nor painful, but a peaceful cessation of the function of the body. Watching the peaceful death of a human being reminds us of a falling star; one of the million lights in the vast sky that flares up for a brief moment, only to disappear into the endless night forever." Elizabeth Kubler-Ross


I did sign up to participate in this much needed program. At least I can pray for them, sing to them and just hold their hand in their last hours.

Does anyone else have this program in their hospital?

 

[Yaps]

I like that, wish all hospitals did this.

 

[Mary]

Not many programs can recruit an angel.
Your Hand in Hand program just has.

 

[Emma]

You are one of the very few people who I can truly say inspire me!
You're such a very special lady.
Love to you
Emma
xxx

 

[Marguerite53]

Glenda. What a wonderful program. I'm not sure I'd have the courage to do that, but it is certainly a lovely, lovely thing. Good luck with your experience. I agree with Mary. They will be graced to have you by their side.

Marguerite

 

[geebee]

This is truly a wonderful program. I do not know if any other hospitals in my area have this but I know the one I volunteer at does not.

I never had the priviledge of participating when a new life comes into this world as I do not have children. Maybe I can participate in helping a good life leave this world in peace.

Glenda, although I know this is not why you posted but, you are such an example to us all. Thank you for being so selfless in all you do.

 

[Tiffin]

Glenda What a truly wonderful person you are for being someone's angel! I don't believe Providence Hospital has this program I know when I was in ICU myself that two other patients passed away without family or friends there. My I say thank you for being a person whose heart will be there for someone else!

 

[RCB]

Glenda,
What a wonderful, warm, caring and strong being you are! I could never do that- I would fall apart. I just hope that If I were in that position,
that I would be so lucky to have someone to watch over me.

 

[Glenda]

My goodness I didn't expect so many wonderful replies. Thank you. I really didn't tell you this to get compliments but to tell you about this wonderful new program our hospital is starting. I'm sure there will be many times that I cry because I cry at Hallmark commercials, so I cry very easy. Something else I thought you might enjoy is this poem that was in our orientation packet for this program. I thought it was so neat.

Let Me Die Laughing

We are all dying, our lives always moving toward completion.
We need to learn to live with death, and to understand
That death is not the worst of all events.
We need to fear not death, but life-- empty lives, loveless lives,
lives that do not build upon the gifts that each of us have been given,
lives which we never take the time to savor and appreciate,
lives in which we never pause to breath deeply.
What we need to fear is not death, but squandering the lives we have been
miraculously given.
So let me die laughing, savoring life's crazy moments. Let me die holding the hand of one I love, and recalling that I tried to love and was loved in return. Let me die remembering that life has been good, and that I did what I could. But today, just remind me that I am dying, so that I can live, savor and love with all my heart. Mark Morrison-Reed

 

[hensylee]

when my dad was close to death, I knew he would go at any time and I could not bear the thought of him dying alone. I refused to leave him, sat with him all night. He thrashed, argued, reached out, tried to get out of bed and fussed at me. He'd doze off, I would, too. In about a minute or less he was awake again and so was I. At daybreak my sister came, I stood up and nearly passed out. They MADE me go home. My sister got someone from a church to sit with him - he died about 1 that afternoon, with a stranger beside him.

Bless you, Glenda, for caring about people in that situation. Thank you.

 

[PamO]

Glenda - you are truly an angel.

When my mother passed away, I was just as stubborn to not leave her side. Even though she was in a coma and there was no hope, I still held out the hope of a 25 year old turned into a 5 year old's hope that mommy would wake up. My sister finally forcibly took me home to shower and eat. In that 30 minutes we were gone, my mother passed. The nurse was with her, holding her hand. When we got back to the hospital, the nurse said to me, "she waited until you were gone; now it's time for you to move on. Consider it a gift from your mom." Somehow, she made it okay that I wasn't there and knew that my mother wouldn't let go until we had left. Truly an angel.

Glenda, I know that you will be a comfort to not only the patients but to their families also.