Day 348: Hospice Patient Visit

Just like a "first day of school", my first day of visiting with a Hospice patient was filled with all kinds of emotions and anxieties.  Would I be able to connect with the patient?  Would he or she be receptive or responsive to my visit?  Would I run out of things to babble on about in the hour long companion visit?  Would I be able to tolerate the smells of the nursing home? Yet of all these very real and familiar volunteer curiosities, what I experienced was actually none of the above.  The aforementioned thoughts were no longer of concern as what I was faced with when I met my first patient was shock and an overwhelming sense of sadness.  My patient, whom I will call "My Friend", is a darling senior woman who is suffering from the final stages of Alzheimers.  The AseraCare Social Worker assigned to her case is an absolutely lovely and compassionate gal who is perfectly suited for her role.  She took me to the patient'sroom to introduce me, and we were both in disbelief when we saw the patient.  Apparently, My Friend had taken a drastic turn for the worse, deteriorating dramatically within just one week, and she was visibly distressed, lying helplessly in bed and unable to communicate.  She hadn't been dressed for the day as of yet, so she looked especially frail and sad.  The social worker and I immediately went to her bedside and tried to visit with her.  I took her hand and she slowly opened her eyes, which I am told means she acknowledged me.  But then she was trying to get out of the bed, which I knew was not safe, so I had to call for the nurse while I easily kept her 80lb frame in bed.  My Friend now knows all about Bianca, Olivia and Sophia.  What she actually understood of my nonstop chatter I will never know.  It was so difficult to not be able to help this tiny, very sick woman, be more comfortable.  Eventually, the nursing home aides came and washed  My Friend, dressed her and wheeled her out to a sitting area.  She looked wonderful!!  What a difference!!  She even had an adorable straw hat on.  My friend was still unable to communicate, but I think I did get a few responses....meaning she would lean into me or tighten her grip on my hand.....like when I told her that Paul's birthday is on St Patrick's Day as I know she is Irish, and that I make quilts.  My Friend's profile states that she was a painter and a civil rights activist.  I can only imagine her talents and intelligence in action. It's so profoundly sad to know that she can no longer contribute her gifts to the world.  After what seemed an eternity, an hour had passed and I left, letting her know that I will come back next week.  I only hope she will still be there.........

Day 347: Cupcakes for AseraCare

Sophia here!  It was time to make the cupcakes for the AseraCare Hospice patients!! I made the plan to do them the first Tuesday of every month, and Mom will deliver them on Wednesdays. This month I did green for St. Patricks day. I put little clovers on (m&ms) and green sprinkles!!

Day 346: Cashmere for Crafting

Patricia here.  A good friend of ours works for a company that makes beautiful cashmere sweaters and accessories. Over the holidays, I became the lucky recipient of a couple of boxes of his discarded cashmere swatches that were once used to determine color and lot quality for product development.  Truly, they are absolutely gorgeous!  I was able to sort through and save the pieces that I thought would be useful for the Cutler gals to eventually sew with ...but there still so many pieces remaining that I felt could be used for craft projects through someone's creative genius.   Today I contacted the Natick Library which has a hugely active and successful children's program, and they were thrilled to know that such a treasure chest would be dropped off to them tonight!  Happy crafting!!

Day 345: Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation

Bianca here.
Today, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Boston Celtics game against the New York Knicks. My friend Alex had an extra ticket (row 10!) and the ticket was free (for me at least...haha) so it was an offer I couldn't refuse! Believe it or not it was my first Boston Celtics game. We won 115-111 in overtime, but it was a pretty close game for the entire 4 quarters. There were some incredible performers during halftime and commercials as well, including an incredible drumline band composed of only elementary school students, as well as a hip-hop dancing group of kids ages 8-11. So much young talent! As I was walking around the edge of the area duringa commercial break, there was a table selling raffle tickets for the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation. Of course I did not win, but below is the mission of this foundation:

The mission of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation is to extend the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into our community. The Shamrock Foundation benefits our children directly, through programs that provide education and support. The Shamrock foundation also partners with community based organizations that provide healthcare, shelter and vital services for children in need.

This year our community partners are Perkins School for the Blind, Children's Hospital Boston, Horizons for Homeless Children and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC).

I figured it was a more worthy purchase than a T shirt! Th

ere were updates every couple of minutes on the jumbo-tron, showing how much money they had raised through raffle sales during the game. Last ti

me I looked it was nearing $3,000 just for the one game! Not bad for a couple hours, huh?

I am glad to have been able to go to the game today and get back into my Boston Pride mode before going back to Philly!

Day 344: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Olivia here.  Tomorrow I leave bright and early for New Orleans to help the Katrina victims! I was at the mall today and noticed a donation box for those who have lost their homes in the recent mid-west tornadoes, so I dropped some change in!

I'll be blogging about my trip when I return on the 10th, so keep a lookout!

Day 343: Contributing to the Greek Church

Philip and I are visiting our dear friends ,Joan and Frank, in Florida. Frank's brother and sister-in-law are very active at/in the Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church here and every Friday night, the church has a supper to benefit the church. Tonite, we went to the supper and it was delightful! There was a wonderful choice of meals --fish, stuffed peppers, and lamb to name a few--and each one of them was delicious according to all those at our table.Volunteers from their very small congregation do all the preparing, serving and cleaning up. We met some of Joan and Frank's friends--one couple from Waltham, Ma and another from New Hampshire-and discussed the weather in New England among many other things. Another reason we were happy to be supporting Archangel Michael Church, is that is the church that our dear friends and former neighbors, Jack and Nancy Jarnis attended and helped build, when they were living here in Florida . It was an evening of friendship, satisfaction and love and we were so happy to support their cause.

Day 342: Grilled Cheese Bake Sale at UPenn

Bianca here.  Tonight, my pre-healthcare fraternity is hosting a grilled cheese bake sale outside of one of the campus bars. All of the proceeds are going to Relay for Life. One of the fraternity brothers lives across the street from the bar, so it will be easy for those partaking in the Thursday night bar-scene to mingle on over. Bake sales outside of bars are generally very lucrative, so I'm looking forward to seeing what our profit is. I just spent the last half hour over a the house setting up and putting together pre-made sandwiches. I made about 35 before my shift was over! I will probably stop by later tonight to check in how the sales are going. Hope it's a success!