One of the most formative experiences of my life has been volunteering at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. My volunteering experiences mainly focused around a place called Teen Lounge, a room on the top floor of the hospital, where teenagers could escape the monotony of their room and the nagging of their parents. The Teen Lounge became a place for teenagers to relax by playing video games, participating in arts and crafts, or even reading with the volunteers or other teenagers.
Some patients would linger in my memory because they impacted me in such a meaningful way. One patient I will never forget was “a boy we’ll call “Riley.”” I met “Riley” during my seventh month of volunteering. He was in his late teens and suffering from a rare bone
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Most of the time he would just want me to stay with him so he could have one-on-one personal time with me to discuss the positives and the negatives of his day. He would also be curious about my school day and what I was learning, particularly from my psychology class. For the next few weeks I would meet up with Riley and we would discuss our days with one another, every discussion so vast from the last one-it always managed to keep both Riley and I entertained. There was one day where Riley and I had one of our serious discussions where we would discuss topics that really touched more of a personal agenda. Riley told me about the “handful” of problems that he would encounter at the hospital. Problems such as the palpable hospital food, constantly being pumped with chemicals, and trying to meet the impossible physical requirements set by his doctor. However Riley told me that even though his cancer was holding him prisoner to the hospital and that the problems of the hospital would always linger, he wouldn’t let it make him depressed. He refused to let cancer stop him from enjoying the parts of his life he had control over. Instead he found appreciation in watching the newest episode of