What Makes You Tick?

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You know, they say that it takes all kinds to make the world go around. To everyone, there are different ideas, traditions, views, values and purposes in life that skew the way we move forward in life. To some, it is the tradition of family. Maybe going to grandma’s and grandpa’s house on Sunday after church for lunch with the whole family is tradition. Maybe a dad instilling in his children a hard work ethic your word is your word, a handshake between two people is a contract, showing up for work on time and giving your all to the company you work for.

How you make decisions in life, in relationships, at work or play depends on the values that drive you. Your values reflect your beliefs about how life should be. To take it a little further- do your values line up to what you tell others? Do you put those words into action? So say you tell a friend that you value a healthy lifestyle with staying fit, exercising every day, eating fresh whole, organic foods, but yet when you go out to eat together, you’re actually getting the cheeseburger-loaded, French fries, and chocolate shake. Your values and beliefs now have no meaning as you have given a mixed signal to your friend. Or maybe you made a promise to your child to come watch them play ball and “something came up.” Read More »

Death is a natural process of life. At times it may catch us off guard and we may not feel quite ready or prepared to accept it. At other times, it’s expected and we have more time to grieve healthily. However, if there is one thing I know for certain, it is that there is something very special we experience within each loss we must accept and endure.

Though I have had many experiences with death in the past, three people stand out to me the most: my uncle Tad, my grandmother, and my grandfather.

Part I:

 Uncle Tad

Uncle Tad gave the best hugs. The kind of hugs that really make you feel loved and cared for. I used to get one of his hugs several times each summer when he and my Aunt Patty visited for family pool parties. Uncle Tad had the job of grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs, and he seemed to always wear an apron that said, “Kiss the Cook”. Read More »

What are some things you can name on one hand that in your lifetime, are the most precious gifts that have been given to you? It may be a fine piece of jewelry that has been handed down from generation to generation. Or could it be the family bible that is on the coffee table? How about the family photo album? One of the single most important gifts that were ever given to me was the opportunity to become a mother.

As some of my very close friends know, in my early working years I wanted a husband, house, career, and to go fishing. And you know children, “they cost too much”, “your life will never be the same again”, you will “never sleep again the rest of your life,”, and best yet “this world is too awful to raise a child in now days.” No children were ever a part of my “plan.” My selfish way of thinking that children would just interrupt what life had to offer, would soon come to an end. God had better plans. As time went along-my female hormones telling me my “time’s ticking”, “you don’t have much time”, and “you’re only getting older” started nagging me. God prodding me and my husband had a way of changing our mind on the concept of bearing children. Read More »

Since childhood, RN and Clinical Manager Jan Duhon has followed in her mother’s footsteps. She remembers caring intently for every animal and baby doll that had a scratch and nursing them back to health.

“My mom is 75 years old and still works as a nurse full-time,” she said. “She is definitely my inspiration.”

To Jan, working for Solaris Hospice is not just a paycheck. After 17 years as a nurse, Jan has developed what she calls a ‘hospice heart’. “My mom always told me that you’re never too good to do the dirty stuff,” she said. To this day, Jan carries her mother’s words with her. “Death is a part of life that people are not very comfortable with,” Jan said. “I don’t just want to take care of their physical needs but their mental, emotional, and spiritual needs, too.”

One of the reasons Jan came to work for Solaris was the faith that she shared with the Solaris team and family. “I firmly believe that what’s on the other side is my Lord and Savior,” she said. “I believe this is my missionary work. This is where God wants me to be.”
Jan truly feels hospice care is her calling and believes she has been blessed with an amazing team of caregivers. “We see people at their worst and their best. This job takes a lot of patience and kindness,” she said. “But, most of all, it takes a lot of love.”

The love Jan shows for her patients is largely accredited to not only her love of the job but also her love for her husband, Malcom. “I like to call him my ‘hospice husband’,” Jan said. “ No matter what time of day it is when I get a call, he’s always so supportive.”
Though Jan may have a demanding or stressful day at work, she still shows undeniable compassion for her patients.

“It’s not about me. It’s about them,” she said. “It may be tough, but it’s so rewarding.”

Our number one passion at Solaris without question is cutting edge palliative medicine. Not far behind that comes a long standing heart and love for overseas missions work, specifically medical outreach. Solaris has taken medical teams (including non-medical members) to 4 different countries in the last 5 years. You can read more about those trips as well as view photos and video over on our missions page. Billy Mahoney, who serves as videographer, editor, and graphic designer for Solaris, joined us on our trip to Panama. This is his story.

Billy Mahoney

When someone says “Panama”, you probably think of the Van Halen song. If not, then I applaud you. When I think of Panama, I think of a country that brought an experience to me that I never thought I would have the pleasure of encountering. In August of 2009 I was taken along as a videographer for a mission trip that was made possible by Solaris. I had never been on a mission trip. I had never even been out of the country (aside from Mexico). I honestly had no idea what I was going to see or what to expect.

The day before we were scheduled to leave I had flu-like symptoms and felt like twenty miles of bad road. Lucky for me I work with some of the best medical specialists a person could ask for. Whatever they gave me could only be described as unicorn tears mixed with pure magic because it knocked the sick right out of me. The day we landed in Panama I was as close to 100% as I could be. The trip could officially begin. Read More »