Getting More Than You Give

Published on August 25, 2024

Hospice care has always been a part of Corinne Lemoine’s life. Several of her family members have benefited from the end-of-life care that hospice can provide. So, when she decided she wanted to get involved in giving back to her community in Murfreesboro, a hospice organization seemed like an obvious choice – these caregivers had already done so much for her loved ones. Corinne reached out to Alive and became a volunteer originally helping in the inpatient unit near her home.

Corinne went on to volunteer with Alive’s in-home care team instead and now stands by the fact that, “in-home care is where it’s at.” With in-home care, she assists patients and their family members with specific needs, helps around the house, or provides companionship.

For Corinne, getting involved was the easy part: “If people don’t volunteer, there is nobody to help when it is needed.” In April 2023, Corinne was introduced to Davin, an Alive patient in his mid-30’s with a young family who was suffering from ALS.

In her first days of volunteering with Davin, Corinne was doing what many Alive volunteers do – helping with household chores and things that the patients can no longer do themselves. Her time with the patient and his family evolved, and they shared many moments out on the porch getting to know one another and developing a friendship.

As Davin’s condition began to decline, and they focused their time together on legacy projects that were important for him to leave behind for loved ones. From creating artwork of the family dressed as superheroes to dictating letters for family and friends, Corinne was able to help Davin provide for his family after he died. One project they worked on together was the creation of digital files for Davin’s wife and family with instructions for what to do and who to call when it came to routine house and car maintenance.

Throughout the year that they spent together, Corinne’s friendship with Davin, his family and friends grew. “He put a lot of things into perspective,” Corinne said about their time getting to know one another. They shared bucket list meals of Sonic and Dove chocolates while continuing spending time chatting on the porch in the afternoons.

“He didn’t lose a battle – he finished his journey. And Alive was able to help him with that journey.”

Following the patient’s death, Corinne reflected on their time together and her relationship with the family, saying, “I got more than I gave with him. They had a bigger impact on me than I did on them.”

Alive’s in-home services can make a real difference for families who benefit from care that allows nurses and doctors to come to the patient in a setting that is most comfortable for them. For patients like Davin, having someone on-call makes a big difference and means that you don’t have to load up equipment and other things to make a trip to the doctor or hospital.

Corinne encourages others to get involved with Alive and hospice volunteering. “If people don’t volunteer, there won’t be anyone there to help care for my people,” she said when discussing why she volunteers. Getting involved is easy – like Corinne, all you have to do is reach out to a volunteer coordinator and complete a brief application. “You get so much out of it,” says Corinne.