Liliana Earle

1/9/2014

During my time at San Dimas Community Hospital, I have come to learn not only about parts of the medical field, but about the people in the San Dimas community. Part of my job as a volunteer in the Emergency Room is to talk to the patients and keep them company when they are by themselves. There was this one patient I was talking to who told me I reminded her of her granddaughter. She told me how she moved here from India and how she was once a teacher in an all-girl school. She loved to teach, but she wanted to move here to be closer to her kids and grandkids. She showed me all these pictures of her when she married her husband, and pictures of her sons, daughters, and grandchildren. She showed me a picture of her granddaughter and I really did look like her. She told me the story of how her granddaughter met president Obama and she had a picture to go along with it. She was a really sweet lady and she felt really comfortable around me. That’s one of my favorite things about being a volunteer. There was this other lady who sprained her leg and when I helped the doctor put a splint on it, she told me that this wasn’t the most pain she’s been through. She started to tell me about her childhood in Germany during World War 2. She had a mother, father, and a brother who lived in a small little house. When the war came, her father was called to fight. Her, her mother and her brother waited for the war to end so they could see their dad, but when it was over he didn’t come back. After that story, I made sure she was comfortable and kept her company. Volunteering at San Dimas Hospital helped me learn more about the people in my community.