Some of the Faces of Hospice Maui
Ann Babson
Ann Babson, who took the Volunteer Training Course in October of 2004, is new to the organization, but as energetic, committed and caring as those who have volunteered for five, ten or twenty years. "Hospice volunteering is a privilege," said Ann.
"In the short time I've spent with clients since the training last year, I've seen that life's lessons are here in front of us every day. Being a Hospice volunteer has emphasized so much the lessons of paying attention, being present, suspending my judgments and assumptions, simplifying my life, and being of service." Ann continued by saying, "Being with Hospice clients gives me the opportunity to learn from their grace to embrace life, to love each client as they journey, and to be grateful to them for allowing me to be a part of it. Hospice has given me the key to open the door to a richer life, about which Elizabeth Kübler-Ross said so simply, ...to live until we say goodbye."
Charlotte F. Flavin
If you should happen to ask what brought Charlotte F. Flavin to Maui, she'll tell you, "I was born here!" She did leave Maui for awhile after graduating from St. Anthony High School but she returned 21 years later with a husband and two young children. Well, Charlotte, then what brought you back? Charlotte says that she came home to help care for her parents.
She began her volunteer work with Hospice Maui in 1982, when she was a nursing student, after spending the last few months of a patient's life as he shared his thoughts and feelings with her—his fears, regrets, celebrations—all of which enabled Charlotte to understand that dying was a highly significant act of living. Charlotte wanted to learn more and she wanted to be able to help others in their journeys. As a result, Hospice Maui has benefitted from many years of Charlotte's devotion to her work.
Charlotte's most memorable Hospice experiences include: 1) being part of an extended `ohana and close friend of the partner of a person with AIDS and debilitating dementia; 2)accompanying a dear personal friend, his wife, and his family through diagnosis and stages of liberation; 3)her first patient (a visitor from New Jersey) who was hospitalized with TPN. Husband Dave has been Charlotte's help mate through many "passages" in their lives and a challenger to her beliefs. They have two grown children.
Betty H. Johnson
Betty H. Johnson is one of the few Hospice Maui volunteers who resides in Lahaina. Betty says that she and her husband wanted to see more of Hawai`i than just Honolulu, so they came to Maui in 1968 and Betty's husband's business brought them to Maui for good in 1970. As with other Hospice Maui volunteers, Betty joined the Hospice Maui team because she had been part of the cancer experience. Her husband contracted cancer and Betty needed to know how to best care for him. Subsequently, her involvement in his care then inspired her to reach out help others. Betty has two sons, one a CPA and one a school counselor, and a daughter, who is Director of the Women's Board of Missions of the United Church of Christ in Hawai`i.
Hospice volunteers provide assistance in many ways and also may be asked by their patients' families to help with light chores and/or shopping. Betty says that her most memorable experience so far is the time that the daughter of one of her patients met Betty at the door with a mop and a bucket. (Hmmm, do you think Betty does windows)?
Betty's philosophy of life is that "...we're here on earth to serve our Lord and our neighbors." Evidence that Betty practices her philosophy is her nearly twenty years of volunteering with Hospice Maui.
Mychael Patrick
Mychael Patrick joined the Hospice Maui team as a patient care volunteeer in 2003, after taking a disability retirement (Parkinson's disease) from the U.S. Postal Service. He is married and has three daughters. Mychael's hobbies webpage design and recording music. In February 2006, one of Mychael's original pieces was selected as one of eleven songs that now comprise the "soundtrack" for the first-ever World Parkinson Congress. 
"In 1999, I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the base of my tongue. After radiation and a modified radical neck dissection, here I am...still annoying my family." (You can read Mychael's sometimes harrowing account of his cancer adventure at Dancing With Mr. C. "For me, every day is a gift from God and volunteering is my way of giving back some of the extra time He's given me."
Mychael related his favorite moment as a Hospice volunteer which just happened to be his first assignment. Mychael said, "After P passed away, his wife S asked me to send her husband's ashes to his mom in Massachusetts for a memorial service. S couldn't bring herself to do it alone and she knew I had worked as a postal employee. After gathering the necessary permits and forms, I drove to her house. S and I sat on the bare wood floor in the room where her husband had spent his final weeks. S had cleared the room of every single item and had filled it instead with all the photos and flowers that had been on display at her husband's funeral. We spent about 45 minutes gently preparing the box of ashes and talking quietly about the past ten weeks. It was such a peaceful interlude and I knew she was relieved and grateful. I wasn't able to be with the family when P passed on, and this opportunity to help them one last time brought me a sense of closure."
Mychael also does bereavement volunteering and designed and maintains Hospice Maui's website.
Roger Rowehl
Another awesome fellow, Roger Rowehl (who just happens to be the husband of our Volunteer Coordinator, Anne Rowehl) says "volunteering at Hospice Maui can best be described as being flexible. My experience has been a sort of 'jack-of-all trades,' including patient care, bulk mailing, furniture and equipment pickup, and traffic control (for the Hilltop Bazaar), and equipment cleaning." Rowehl went on to say, "patient care is without a doubt the most rewarding facet of being a Hospice Maui volunteer."
Without violating any confidentialities, Rowehl reminisced fondly about three gentlemen with whom he spent time, each one with his own particular needs. The first was a man in his 80's who had worked in the sugar cane industry in Hawaii for many years. He had been an avid golfer and scored his age (80+) before putting away his clubs. While giving the patient's wife a break from care giving, Roger and the gentleman shared some fierce games of cribbage, watched television together after Roger served him his lunch, then solved many of the world's biggest problems as they conversed. Another gentleman, also in his 80's, was a very successful businessman and his involvement in Maui Rotary clubs earned him the highest honors and respect among his peers. Again, giving the wife a break, Roger would provide any caregiving needs, serve him lunch and enjoy male bonding as they shared memories and talked story. Roger also mentioned a retired military officer who had 24/7 care from his family, and Roger provided a few moments of much-appreciated quiet respite for this non-taker and non-talker. Rowehl remarked that "during each and every scenario, invariably families grew closer as the end of the patients' lives drew near." He also mentioned again that "flexibility is the key, because each and every patient has different needs and concerns and no family situation is the same. A volunteer just needs to 'be' with the patient with no issues and no expectations of their own." Rowehl stated that "the personal reward of volunteering with Hospice Maui is incomparable and gives you the warmest, fuzziest feeling imaginable."
There will be more Hospice bios in the weeks to come. Keep checking back!
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