Alternative Break

Bay Pines Florida VA Hospital

This year I went on my very first Alternative Break through Central. Needless to say, this trip was AMAZING. On this trip I experienced a week full friendship and growth, and I also gain more perspective of the healthcare system. During the time we served at the VA hospital we were broken into smaller groups that had separate tasks. Some of the tasks included escorting patients, organizing gifts and a Christmas dinner food drive, and helping out in the extended care facility.

Although completing the tasks we volunteered for made an impact, I felt like the largest impact came to the patients when we interacted with them.  I was able to thank many brave men and women for serving our country in one of the most sacrificial ways possible. During these interactions I heard stories of WWII and Vietnam, of love and tragedy, of injury and healing, of family and lost ones. It seemed that every time I would sit down to talk with a patient the minutes would turn into hours, and my perspective was broadened greatly.

One of the most captivating  stories came from a gentleman who was receiving physical therapy for a knee replacement. He had served in the marines during the Vietnam War. During his tours he gave up four years of his life and still suffers from PTSD from the war time brutality. As I was thanking him for his service he started tearing up and shaking his head. He shared how strange it was that I was thanking him for his service in the war, because he faced such opposition when he returned from the war initially. He shared that he and his troop all had to take off and hide their uniforms before reaching American shores because they would be mobbed by people protesting the war. He explained how he was spat on in public because protestors recognized the military hair cut and boots, even without the uniform. Personally, I was blown away at this story. I have learned in my history classes of the protests of the Vietnam war, but hearing it from a personal perspective gave my previous knowledge much more depth. This patient  taught me, unknowingly, a lesson of a life time: Although I may have knowledge, others can teach me much more than I will ever be able to learn on my own, and thus service, collaboration, and perspective gaining are the cornerstones to a successful society.

 

 

Ultimately, this trip was filled with stories that left me both laughing, and tearing up. It was filled with learning, as a group and individually. I became more familiar with a the Veteran’s Affairs Health Care System, and what it takes to be a part of this type of facility. I left this trip with more perspective on the world around me, and a refreshment of my drive to become a Physical Therapist at a veteran care facility (with high hope that the facility will be Walter Reed).