Sunday Leadership Story
In the spring of 2016, I made a big decision. I decided to apply to become a hospice volunteer.
It was time to return to volunteering. I had been volunteering since I was 12 at various organizations and took a pause when I became a mother.
I yearned to return to volunteering. That’s when I decided to look inward at my life, the many losses I’d experienced in my own family, and each decade that brought loss.
I lost my father and his mother, my beautiful Irish Nana, in my twenties.
In my thirties, I lost my oldest brother.
In my forties, I lost my mother and a dear friend.
In my fifties, I lost a dear cousin.
Each decade has had a loss, and I wanted to see how I could take the grief I endured and pay it forward.
Hospice was the answer. Immediately after my interview, I was hired. Carla was my immediate supervisor; she was lovely and heart-centered from my first day.
I started in the community with a wonderful woman named Juanita. I was her volunteer, so when it was time for her to go to hospice, I went with her.
The last thing she said to me before she passed was that I needed to work inside the hospice as a direct service volunteer. Juanita was a teacher for her whole career. Her logic was that instead of working with one family, I could help ten, as the hospice has ten beds.
Juanita passed on September 27, 2016. Her three beautiful daughters asked me to give the eulogy at her funeral, and I was both humbled and honoured.
The following week, I went through training to become a direct service volunteer. Since 2016, I’ve been helping families, hospice nurses, and people who work in personal support worker roles as a direct service volunteer.
The conversations. The moments. The relatability was the reason I was there. I knew exactly how every person in a family felt. I could easily sit and listen and be present. It’s been an incredible seven years. My heart is filled with emotion and beautiful memories. I have met hundreds of families.
I recently gave my notice at the hospice. I took my supervisor, Carla, for a nice lunch. I wanted to thank her for being the best boss I ever had.
She always saw me. She fostered and mentored my leadership at the hospice. This lunch was an opportunity to look her into her eyes and tell her she was the best female boss I’d ever had. Mission accomplished. We both shed a few tears. Carla will always have a special place in my heart.
Before I started my company, I had four female bosses who did not treat me well. I experienced “Tall Poppy Syndrome” early in my career and at a young age in my twenties – it should have been a time for development, nurturing, and mentorship. I wanted to celebrate Carla and tell her how she impacted me with her heart-centered leadership.
The beauty of this story is that I am welcome back at the hospice anytime. I honour my connections with people in every aspect of my life.
