Driving in a New Direction
We all know that I love a good road trip. As someone who loves to travel, this is one of my favorite ways to spend a day, an afternoon, or a weekend. It helps, of course, that Vermont is so beautiful to drive through. You are never stuck on a road with nothing interesting to look at. Instead, you’re greeted with scenery, foliage, small-town charm, cheese and apple stands, unique road signs, and the occasional farm animal. But my most recent road trip was even better because of the destination we aimed for and the reason we had for going there.
Because a day spent with a sense of purpose is a day well spent.
The other day I drove to Windsor, Vermont, to visit Mt. Ascutney Hospital – more specifically, to visit its inpatient rehabilitation center.
I went a bit out of my way, and instead of driving there directly, I first drove from Burlington to Rutland to pick up my Mom, who I knew would want to be a part of this first visit. On my way to Rutland, I admired the views of Lake Champlain and eventually drove through the familiar towns of Middelbury, Brandon, and Pittsford, which now give me exact time stamps of how much longer I have to drive to get to my hometown.
With Mom in the passenger seat, we headed to Windsor, a town I’d never visited before. As I drove in this new direction, I couldn’t help but think about all the places in Vermont I still have yet to explore. And beyond that, how many places in New England and the North Country that are still on my list to visit. I started mentally noting all of those places, eager to get into my car, get on the road, and discover.
But those road trips will have to wait for another day because today already has a story of its own.
Hold on to Hope
I pulled into the parking lot of Mt. Ascutney Hospital, and as I got out of my Equinox and made my way toward the front door, I saw a few patients sitting outside.
I remembered being a patient at a rehabilitation hospital. I remembered waiting for my treatments to end so I could spend a minute outdoors like those other patients seemed to be doing today.
As I got closer to the entrance, I saw another patient getting into a car to go home.
I remembered holding on to hope as my family picked me up and placed me onto the passenger side seat to finally head back home.
I remembered that when I was in a hospital like this one, everything to come still felt impossible. I held on to hope and gave my recovery my all, but it was hard to imagine what life outside of those hospital doors could possibly look like.
But now, here I was, driving myself into the parking lot of this new place, behind the wheel of my adaptive Chevrolet that I drive with hand controls, on my day off from work, with an iced coffee in my hand. The comparison between who I was then and who I am now was sharp in my mind. I felt a quick moment of pride in that growth, which in turn gave me the reassurance I needed for why I had come to this hospital.
I entered the hospital and was greeted by the recreational therapist and the woman in charge of volunteer services. We sat at a table, and I was handed my application to become a peer mentor volunteer at Mt. Ascutney Hospital.
This is why I was here.
What Will This Mean?
Peer mentors are people brought in to visit with patients. Usually, mentors are selected for the patient because of their similarities. Whether that be a similar injury, similar interest, similar backstory, etc. So for me, I will be a mentor who can connect with someone with a spinal cord injury, someone with amputations, or even someone with a traumatic brain injury.
Statistically, men are the higher percentage of patients in these categories. So it can be harder to find a female peer mentor for girls or women. I hope to be this person for the next patient who is in need.
There is always a bit of training for these mentorship programs as you learn how to approach someone who may be grieving or in a fragile state post-injury or post-diagnosis. It was explained to me that the most important aspect of being a peer mentor is empathetic listening. To be a friendly face that is not one of the many doctors or medical staff that they see each day.
The hope is that, as a peer mentor, you can answer those tough questions, you can represent all that is possible outside of the hospital doors, and you can give hope, guidance, reassurance, and advice.
My Peer Mentors
I remember having peer mentors when I was a patient – not only those who were trained and selected by the hospital to be there for me, but others, too, who were simply friendly faces who had heard of my story and decided to stop by on their own.
I was blessed to have survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing hear of me, learn that I was in Boston, and reach out to me simply because they wanted to help. And I was fortunate enough to have surgeons and doctors who cared about me enough to say, “Let me text one of my previous patients. I think you guys would get along.”
After each one of these people left my hospital room, I had learned something new. And I always felt a flimmer of excitement and hope.
And that is why I want to do this.
I want to do this because I credit so much of my current life and my recovery to everyone who has supported me. Of course, I have put in the effort and the time, and at times fought so hard to simply survive and overcome the newest challenge. But, there was always support around me – from my medical providers, my family, my friends, my community, and the North Country Chevy Dealers, who gave me my adaptive Chevy so I could make trips like this happen.
I have learned how empathy and generosity can change someone’s life because I was lucky enough to have always been granted these things. Others have been generous with their time with me, and so I now want to be generous with my time. Others have been empathetic listeners, caregivers, and friends to me, and now I want to be empathetic toward others. I have been supported by so many groups and individuals, and I want to take the time to now support others.