When I first moved to Rochester sixteen years ago, I was looking for a connection to the community. Luckily, I had the good fortune to hear Kathie Quinlan, the now retired Director of Isaiah House, speak about the mission of the house and I was hooked.
Isaiah House is a two-bed home for the dying on Prince Street in the city of Rochester. We serve people from all socio-economic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. For many years, we were one of the few homes that accepted people with AIDS.
Through my service at Isaiah House, I have had the privilege to sit with many residents and their families as they journeyed through the dying process. A 45-year-old mother dying of cancer, a homeless man with no family by his side, a young man whose family had a hard time accepting their son was dying from AIDS, an 85-year-old man who arrived in a limo with jazz music accompanying him…these are all people who have passed through Isaiah House’s doors. Each one has a story to share and a lesson to teach.
I realize I volunteer at Isaiah House for selfish reasons; I get more out of it than I put into it. One learns a lot about living by sitting with someone who is dying. When one is dying, all of the seemingly important chores, “emergencies” and tasks of our daily lives get boiled away and what remains are the most important things in life: family, love, forgiveness and peace.
Donna Burke
Academic Services
04/07/2009 |