“When someone’s facing a health crisis, I help them access spiritual resources so they feel empowered, hopeful. It’s richly rewarding.”
"I was a pastor for 20 years; I experienced profoundly sacred moments accompanying people through the final phases of life. It set my path.
Spirituality is whatever brings your life meaning: values, practices, beliefs. When someone’s facing a health crisis, I help them access spiritual resources so they feel empowered, hopeful. I’ve seen lights go on inside people. It’s richly rewarding.
I listen, deeply. I find out what’s important to them so we honour that in their care plan. We talk about hopes and fears. Reflecting on difficulties they’ve overcome can help. One patient spoke about life as an army wife: she waited a year for her husband to meet their baby. She was reminded of her inner strength and how that would help her through her current challenge.
When working with staff and families, I remind them: We give from our overflow. If you constantly draw from your own well, you’ll run dry. Find your source, tap into it and fill yourself to overflowing. My source? Playing the piano, singing. Journaling too. It’s a way to unpack the day and let it go, because it’s always a challenge: entering into someone’s story, without taking it on yourself."
- Marilyn Chan, Spiritual Health Practitioner, Delta Hospital