Today I learned that “happy ever after” really does indeed exist. We visited the Hospice Buen Samaritano in Pilar. “The end of life” is such a difficult concept to be open about, yet today, I learned that death is a part of life and it is not necessarily an ending but more of a conclusion of a story.

The story we heard about today was about a young man, 24 years old, who had rectal cancer and HIV. He came to the hospice with no money, family, or the ability to trust anyone. His illness was very severe and even though he stole from the hospice the first few days, he grew to be a part of the home and trusted people. His life dream was to have a family, and at the end of his life, he had everyone at the hospice become his family as well as reunite with his biological family. The speaker said that he died at peace, pain-free, and with love, and everyone is sure that he went straight to heaven. The hospice changed his life for the better, and not for the worse.

This visit was so impactful to me because what I assumed about hospices were completely different. The home was so incredibly warm with laughter and smile coming from every guest. One guest said that he felt “Tranquilo y comodo” (at peace and comfortable) at the home. Hospice is not a place where people go to die. I realized today that it is a place where people are cared for and loved tremendously, live happier, and be calm and at peace for the last chapter of their story.

The visit also made me appreciate my life and everyone and thing I have in it. Through the young boy’s story, it is clear that having a good, caring community around you is the path to happiness. I also loved how the hospice ran solely on donations and volunteers. All of the volunteers and staff give so much love and care for every guest and that created such an amazing and warm environment at the hospice. This visit served as a reminder to me to love and give love greatly and always surround myself with people that make me feel “tranquila y comoda.”

Besides this visit, we visited a school and a primary care facility owned by nuns. We got to interact with local kids and they were such enthusiastic, energetic and adorable children. They all just warmed my heart. I really loved today because it was just such an inspirational, wholesome day filled with lots of love and genuine care.