Endless summer, limited soccer...

This was an interesting summer. Soccer was limited. I had Osgood Schlatter (OS) pay me another visit, however. OS is common, especially in active boys having growth spurts. It results from your bones, tendons and ligaments all growing at slightly different rates, causing stress and inflammation on the knee. To say it hurts would be an understatement. So a lot of summer soccer training was put on hold. I had visits to orthopedic specialists at Winthrop Hospital in my neighborhood. They helped a lot. I admired what they do. While visiting, I learned that students could volunteer there.

I volunteered part-time at Winthrop hospital. The goals were to help in any way I could and get a glimpse at the lives of health professionals. Honestly, during the first half of the program, I didn’t do much more than help keep closets stocked with supplies. My interaction with nurses was limited and with doctors almost nonexistent. There really wasn’t a glimpse into their daily lives. I spent most of my time working with one of the janitors and one of the lab assistants. It was still interesting, and I figured whatever I was doing helped the nurses and doctors indirectly. I was able, however, to practice Spanish with some of the workers.

When a nurse heard I could speak some Spanish, she had me visit with some of the Spanish speaking patients, bringing them water, and if they were in the mood, talking a bit. This began to happen on a daily basis as the program went on.

These interactions really made the program special for me. I hope to do it again as my soccer schedule allows. Hopefully, I can get the same interaction with patients going. I think about going into healthcare as a career from time to time. Then I think about going into finance or government or foreign service. Not sure stocking utility closets gave me any real information, but interacting with some patients sure felt good.