Tai served at Christ House as Year Long Volunteer from 2024-2025 as a Medical Respite Care Assistant through Franciscan Mission Service. He is attending Baylor University for medical school in the fall. We wish him all the best and know that his gentleness and skill will continue to serve him well throughout his career. The following words are written by Tai, reflecting on his year at Christ House.
I remember the first time I arrived at Christ House. I had accidentally walked past it a few times and had to double check on Google Maps that I came to the right place. It was the middle of August, and I was nervous, a little sweaty, and scared to walk through the front door. As I arrived on the second floor, I saw the routines that would greet me for the next twelve months. A patient asking questions at the nurses station, someone getting out of the shower, an Nursing Assistant sorting folded laundry. It took me all of three minutes to see the whole floor. Not very hard when everything is located down one hallway. It was simple but effective. I felt the same way about how the clinic was run. It was always the same routine. We made sure they kept up with their medications, their appointments, their belongings. Bill and Rick figured out patients’ insurances, housing options, and connected them to resources. Charles and John provided pastoral care and counseling. The work everyone did felt connected towards the same mission- to provide comprehensive and compassionate care.
Over my months there, I realized that the staff pays a lot of attention to the patients. Like a lot. It was always the small things. Patient habits, their moods, the last time they showered. The medical staff usually knew what was going on with all the patients, and we would always communicate about any incidents that went on. There was an attention to the details and a sense of understanding amongst all the staff, and I was proud to be a part of that. Though the patients would get irritated when we caught them sneaking snacks into the building, I hope they understood that we confiscated those things out of love. Something I always found funny about working as a nursing assistant was that I was usually more than just an nursing assistant. The clinic is small, so when it came time for it, I got to be a handyman, a hair stylist, a mani/pedicurist, etc. That work always kept me on my feet, made me think creatively. These random things that staff did for the patients to show them that we were there to care for them, not just patch up their wounds.
In the end, Christ House taught me how to slow down. To take time with patients. Hear their stories. It was a space to get better, an environment where vulnerability was allowed and encouraged. I saw over a hundred guys pass through Christ House in my year there, and I learned a lot from each one of them. Many of them didn’t show it, but many more did: they appreciated the work I was doing, the same way I appreciated them. It really gave me a sense of purpose, a love for medicine, and the skills to become a great physician. I feel much more connected to the values that keep physicians grounded: compassion, humility, and presence.
I’m about to start med school in a few days, and I’m pretty scared of what’s to come. But I feel a little less scared thinking about the patients and staff at Christ House. They believed in me and helped me to where I am today. So thank you Christ House, and thank you to everyone that made this year special for me.
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