Sharing People's Lives: My Best Job Ever

Volunteer Malcolm Campbell, right, sits with a Hospice of Humboldt patient.

“Best job I ever had!” That’s a recurring line spoken by Brad Pitt’s character and his tank crew in the 2014 World War II movie, “Fury.”

Thankfully, I’ve never had the “best job” of being inside an Army tank during combat, but I have had two other “best jobs” — is that even possible?

I began my best paying job in 1977 when I was hired as a UPS driver here in Eureka. That career lasted 30+ years, and although it was a lot of hard work (think Christmas), it was also fulfilling.

A UPS driver on any given day can fill any number of roles, including healthcare provider, Santa elf, a first responder, or the last link in a chain conveying a precious family heirloom.

It was easy to find excitement out on the road each day. I once came upon a motorcycle accident and (much to my boss’s dismay) transported the very bloody rider a mile to his friend’s house where he could get help and medical attention.

I witnessed a woman being assaulted and pushed from her abuser’s pickup truck before he sped away, leaving her slumped in tears. Despite being previously admonished to not transport anyone, I scooped her up and delivered her minutes later to the Fortuna Police Department, where she could receive the help she needed.

I’ve been met at the front door by a handgun-wielding woman saying: “I don’t answer the door after dark without THIS.” Another knock was answered with the door being flung wide open by a very naked man, who immediately exclaimed: “OH! I was expecting my brother!” Now figure that out! Every UPS driver has no shortage of funny, outrageous, heart-warming or heroic stories.

My other “best job” is the one I currently hold, which is as a volunteer with Hospice of Humboldt for the past 13 years.

I called my UPS job my actual paying job, but that certainly doesn’t mean this volunteer role is any less rewarding.

As a patient care volunteer, I get the opportunity and the honor of being a companion to a patient near the end of life, and often not so near the end. I’ve been matched with three different patients who lived 1.5, 2, and 2.5 years on Hospice service.

Hospice is much more about living than it is about dying, and as a patient care volunteer, I get to be present and learn about a precious life of some wonderful people. I’ve been able to sit with one patient for a few hours on her 107th birthday, enjoyed coffee and pie and vintage TV Westerns with another, recorded wonderful audio stories told by a delightful patient/storyteller, and photographed patients surrounded by family members so the family could have a lasting visual record of their loved one.

On four or five occasions, I’ve had the rare privilege of holding a patient’s hand as they took their final breath and left this Earth.