Yazmin Cruz: A Time Away
One key moment during my time away that I can remember while being at the hospital is there was one week that I was on the endo floor and I felt I wasn’t doing enough. I watched all of the nurses go back and forth working so hard trying to find things while also trying to prepare beds for the revolving patients. On this floor there's new patients every day and the beds are constantly moving. The volunteers are there to be an extra set of hands for whatever the doctors or nurses need. I wanted to be this but I didn’t know how because I was still early on as a volunteer and I had also never volunteered at a hospital before this. That week I was there I decided to observe and see what more I could do for them. I ended up coming in fresh the next week ready and prepared. I would fill up the patients bags as normal and clean/move the beds which was part of my everyday job. Along with taking the dirty scopes upstairs to be cleaned that they had just used in surgery. I decided to add a few more tasks to my list and ask one of the nurses to teach me how to start an IV bag. It was kind of cool because I didn’t have to poke anyone or stick anyone. All I had to do was start the bag and hang it up on the bed. A few other tasks I added to my list were filling up the printer, answering the phone, and trying to bring patients back.
A lot of these things were normal tasks for volunteers but they didn’t expect it because they don’t ask much of their volunteers but I wanted to help out more. This was a key moment for me because I realized nurses work so hard but this is something I couldn’t do because I don’t have the guts to. I wouldn’t be able to sit there and be rough with a patient when needed or stick a patient with a needle. I did learn that I’m great with helping and tending to people in a way of listening to them if they want to talk or just be there for moral support. I wouldn’t be able to be a doctor either because they also work so hard and do things that I personally wouldn’t be able to handle. Going into surgery and dealing with medicine isn’t something for me but I do commend everyone else who is in that career field.
Another key moment from my breakaway that I can remember while being at the hospital is from my breakaway that opened my heart completely was about day five of Camp Kemo and I remember this camper wasn’t wanting to take a shower. We had a little bit of free time and she wanted to continue playing with everyone else and having fun. I understand winding down can be tough when one doesn’t want the fun to end but it was getting late and my particular group was one of the younger aged groups. We had to get them to bed or we wouldn’t have been able to get them up the next day. One of the camp counselors for this group was helping her get in the shower but she was struggling. It was like they were arguing and both of them seemed so overwhelmed and frustrated. It was hard to hear because it was a long day and I’m sure they were both exhausted.
Eventually another counselor went in there and helped her because it sounded like it was getting tough but I also went in there just in case anyone needed help. I was gathering her clothes together while one of the counselors was trying to calm this camper down because she was in a state where things were getting too tough to handle. I helped this camper put her clothes on and then I sat with her on her bed to just hear her out and see what was going on. She had mentioned a scar she had and how it was messed up and it hurt. I told her wow I have the same scar and we were matching to see if it would make her feel better. It kind of shocked her a little bit because she wasn’t expecting me to say that but it helped her open up and start talking to me.
She finally started talking and as she’s talking I’m helping her get dressed and she’s telling me why her scar hurts so much and how she got it. It was so sad to hear because she’s so young and it breaks my heart to hear she had to go through all that. After she got everything off her chest I hugged her and told her everything would be ok and she shouldn’t worry about things out of her control. She eventually cheered up and told me she trusted what I said and got ready for bed. After this she stuck to me like glue for the rest of the week and I was one of her favorite C.I.T’s. This situation seemed so unrealistic to me at first because that’s not something that just happens in everyday life. It felt like something out of a movie but after taking a step back and evaluating the situation I realized I did good and that this is what I want to do with my life and my career.
Not only did I feel good about myself but I know I did right but this young camper and she taught me a few things as well. I could see myself being a child life specialist and helping children who are going through the same thing as most of the other campers at Camp Kemo. This is where I want to go with my career. Thanks to this camper I know I have the capabilities and I have so much more to learn from not only her but the other counselors as well because they were so good with all of the kids.
In conclusion these moments made up my experience of taking time away because I learned what I’m best at and what I’m not good at. I learned where I can put my talents to work and where I could work on things. I think I also made a big impact on most of the campers there from how close we got very close by the end. Some things I learned I could work on are how are some better ways to break out of my shell faster. I could also get used to awkward moments and positions because those are normal and happen to everyone. It would be good for me to learn this for my career in the future and all-around help in social situations. I know I’m a great listener and offer some good advice. I know that I’m better at leading than I thought and should embrace that more. All this to say I’m very thankful and appreciative of my experiences because both helped me grow as a person.
Yazmin Cruz is a Psychology major and minors in child and family studies at Lander University. She did her breakaway at Camp Kemo over the summer for a week and then she spent time at Prisma Health Baptist Hospital for the rest of the summer. She is expected to graduate December 2024. Her plans after Lander are to go to graduate school and enter a child life program at the College of Charleston.