I met another volunteer at the CHOP Volunteer conference a few weeks ago and was yet again moved by his story. This gentlemen was asked to speak on behalf of the volunteers and share his story. He had sold his business and decided that he needed to do something worthy with his extra time, and so for the past eleven years, he has visited CHOP once a week to read to the children, keep them company, often giving their parents a well deserved break, or spending time with those who may not have many visitors for one reason or another.
He was explaining how good it is for both the child to have company, as well as leaving the parents with a sense of peace knowing someone will be there for their child at the times they cannot be there. He was very humble and spoke so well that there was not a sound in the room for the full 30 minutes. The one thing that I was even more touched by is that this gentlemen was paralyzed from what I could see from the neck down, with a little movement in his arms. He only mentioned his disability once explaining that after the first few years of volunteering he had an unfortunate accident. Nine months later he was back at CHOP volunteering, this time in a wheelchair.
You can imagine how moving this was to all who had the privilege of hearing him speak. Although he had this extreme disability, his commitment to get back to and focus on those he felt really needed help was the most important thing to him and he felt rewarded by those he had the chance to meet. It was a truly inspiring experience, and a true reminder to me of why I do what I do, and just how much each person can make a difference.
