Prior to coming to Crossroads, my path has been
somewhat different than many of the VIP’s I enjoy working alongside of. Though
my initial degree is in Geography, I also grew up traveling the country in
pursuit of a profession in a winter-focused sport: skiing. This experience led
me to being on the patient end of things more often than I would have
liked. It also led me to a greater
understanding of what others encounter in the face of physical ailments,
economic burdens or time constraints. Beyond this, the competitive ski path was
the beginning to my open-eyed journey of those around me in the fleeting
moments while I passed from town to town. The experience may have had little
direct impact on my interest in medicine, but it led me to see new worlds and the
people contained within them.
In a semi-conscious awareness that most teens have,
I was able to recognize and chat with those around me, usually in bus stations
or train depots. It was the initial step that led to my interest in the stories
that their pages of life contained, the struggles they faced, and the unusual
perspectives that I had never known growing up in suburbia the way I did. These
stories harvested over time into my own mental landscape and unbeknownst at the
time, became the first steps that led me toward applying to Crossroad’s
Volunteer Internship Program nearly a decade later. I couldn’t be more grateful for the way the
path led me here.
As a VIP, I have been allowed the opportunity to be
involved with an organization that takes my previous perspectives a step
further. Not only has it allowed me the opportunity to see the community around
us in much closer proximity and to learn more about those within it, but it has
allowed me to connect and engage. I'm given a chance to empathize with a
patient's situation at hand, and most importantly, to act in the interest of
the patient’s needs. Ultimately doing so
with the hope that they can lead
healthier lives, be more fruitful toward their own purpose, and act as a
guiding light to the next person along their path.
It would be a lie to allude to a belief that every
single call runs fluidly, health is restored, and the process of A-to-Z is
taken care of in the blink of eye. When it comes to simply attempting to
schedule a referral appointment for a patient in need, you tend to remember
past trials and tribulations in your life as not so bad after all. I write that somewhat kiddingly. But there are moments where it feels like
you’ve been re-directed for the past hour, only to be told that the provider
doesn’t accept the patient’s insurance. It feels like that because, well -
because that’s what occurs.
In these times, it’s easy to get caught up in the
personal level of misfortune and frustration, without even conscious
awareness. But then swiftly comes the
reminder that without your assistance as a VIP taking the time to make that
call, the patients we serve would have to face the same frustrations (if not
worse) than you just did. All the while, they also have to tend to their
families, get their children to childcare, get to work on time, try and
maintain nutritional meals for dinner, pay the rent… the list goes on and on
and on. And this is even before taking
care of themselves and following the doctor’s orders they were given during their
appointment.
In essence, a simple fact that I once read from
former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden lays true on a daily basis when I am
at Crossroad. That is, “the little
things are the big things." The opportunity to assist the community we serve
with the ‘little things,’ like making those phone calls to get their referral
appointments, allows the fulfillment of the patient to be present with their
family and their community when the opportunities arise. It allows the load
they are carrying to be just a little bit lighter. It provides a chance for the patient to be in
a place where the ‘big things’ cannot only occur, but can be cherished with
healthier, better lives.
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The VIP experience has been my first real step
toward connecting ideology with action, and I’m very grateful for the
opportunity.
-- Michael Liggett
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