HOW I BECOME VOLUNTEER

When I first joined Accord Hospice, it wasn’t for some noble reason.

I was fifteen years old, looking for volunteer hours in a medical facility. Hospice seemed

like a stepping stone toward the healthcare career I hoped to pursue.

As students, we are often taught to measure our worth through numbers—grades,

scores, class rank, volunteer hours. Everything becomes something to count. Looking

back, that mindset blinded me to the true value of volunteering at an end-of-life care

facility.

Understanding the Grieving Process

One day, I was visiting a patient named Grace Zuba. She was having a difficult day, and

I was trying my best to comfort her. I brought her water, held her hand, and told her that

I wished I had her beautiful eyes.

I thought the visit was going well until she looked at me and said, “You must be getting

credit for this.”

Her words caught me off guard.

For a moment, I felt ashamed to say yes.

Not because I didn’t care about Grace, but because I realized that something

meaningful had quietly become transactional in my mind. I had arrived at hospice

focused on what I would gain from the experience. Grace made me stop and ask a

different question: What could I give?

That conversation changed the way I viewed volunteering. What surprised me most

about hospice care was that it wasn’t a place defined by loss. It was a place defined by

life. The Accord Hospice tagline, “We add days to life…and life to days,” truly defines

my experience serving patients in hospice care. 

After my interaction with Grace, I gained more because I started learning the inside of

the healthcare system rather than passively chasing hours. I began speaking with CNAs

and nurses about why they chose this work. Their answers were not what I expected.

They talked about relationships, dignity, presence, and the privilege of caring for people

during some of the most important moments of their lives. Through them, I began to

understand that healthcare is about far more than diagnoses and treatments.

I started volunteering at Radford Green in June before my junior year of high school.

Thanks to the warmth of the staff and the guidance of our volunteer coordinator, Gloria,

the facility quickly felt welcoming.

My first patient was Joseph Krga.

Because Joseph had Parkinson’s disease, conversations could be one-sided at times.

Yet every visit held something special. Sometimes he would drift into memories and tell

stories about his college days or how he met his wife. We sat by a window overlooking

a lake—snow sparkling in the winter, birds stopping by throughout the year. I brought

him a book, and during each thirty-minute visit we would spend time reading together.

As junior year became increasingly demanding, those visits became something I looked

forward to. For thirty minutes, I could forget about AP Biology assignments, swim

practice, and the constant pressure to achieve. Sitting beside Joseph, turning pages

together, I was reminded that some of the most meaningful moments in life are also the

simplest.

A smile. A story. A shared silence.

Joseph’s abilities gradually declined over time, but the joy he brought to our visits never

did. A year later, he remains one of the people I remember most.

The greatest lesson hospice taught me is that every person has a story worth hearing.

Behind every diagnosis is someone who has fallen in love, raised a family, built

friendships, overcome hardships, and lived a life far richer than what appears in a

medical chart. Hospice gave me the opportunity to witness those stories firsthand.

It also changed the direction of my own future. The compassion and sense of

community I experienced inspired me to pursue long-term patient care. I earned my

CNA certification and hope to continue working as a CNA throughout college.

I initially came to Accord Hospice seeking volunteer hours.

I stayed because of the people.

For anyone considering hospice services for a loved one, I hope you know that hospice

is not simply about the end of life. It is about preserving dignity, fostering connection,

and ensuring that every person continues to be seen, heard, and valued.

And for anyone considering volunteering, you may arrive hoping to make a difference in

someone else’s life.

What surprised me was how much it changed my own.

June 10, 2026

By: Saina Nayar / Accord Hospice Volunteer