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    Vermont Voices

    of Serious Illness

     

    Patients and their families share and record conversations in the style of NPR’s StoryCorps

  • Our goals

    To record your story and preserve a memory

    To share stories from family to family

    To understand the ways chronic illnesses impact our lives

  • Recordings

    Excerpts from some of our conversations

    Candis and Hayden

    Back from the brink

    Hayden describes how he felt when his mom Candis received treatment that turned around her disease course. Candis was just grateful to attend her son's high school graduation.

    Carrie and Addison

    Mother and Son Team

    These two have helped each other immensely through Carrie's cancer treatments. The full recording of their conversation is available in the SoundCloud player below.

    High School Reunion

    There are times when we try to disguise our illness and hope that nobody notices, but Carrie experienced an outpouring of love by embracing her baldness with a conspicuous wig.

    "The Most Important Thing Is: You Need to Be a Kid"

    Carrie speaks about Addison's high-functioning autism, his gifts as a reader and inquisitive scientist. At the time of her diagnosis, 12-year-old Addison took on many of the responsibilities of caretaker. He speaks now about the challenges of disruption to their routine.

    Poetry and GIving Back

    Carrie reads her poem "No" about receiving chemotherapy and "Grace" about her philosophy. Giving back to others helps her through treatments.

    Andrew and Amanda

    Like any five year-old, Andrew just wants to play and have fun. Sure, he has faced some serious health challenges, but that doesn't mean he takes himself too seriously. He is too busy to be sick. We sat down with Andrew and his mother at the UVM Medical Center pediatric inpatient ward to find out what makes him tick.

    Kathie and Ron

    What People Can Do Or say to help

    Kathie and Ron are partners who were diagnosed with lung cancer within six months of each other. We sat down at the Hope Lodge in Burlington to have a conversation about family, dog ownership, and taking care of one another.

    "We were robbed"

    Words of Wisdom

    A Lifelong Vermonter

    Take Care of Yourself So you Can Take Care of Others

    This Vermont resident has been taking care of her husband with kidney cancer for nearly ten years. She has seen it all and has some valuable thoughts to share.

    WE aren't MIND-READERS

    Everyone wants to help; no need to be stoic. Just say the word.

    Karen

    My Older brother george

    Karen's brother lived with paranoid schizophrenia in the Vermont State Hospital.  Karen's full recording is available in the SoundCloud player below.

    Loan sharks

    Karen remembers her father who disappeared from her life. She was able to piece together only some of his history after he died.

    Death with Dignity

    It means having a physician who understands, being comfortable and clean, and dying on my own terms.

  • Full Recordings

  • We come to you to record your story

    We will bring audio recording equipment and facilitate the conversation

    You will partner with a family member, friend, or other important person in your life

     

    Sit down with someone you know well

    Have a meaningful conversation

    Ask questions you might not otherwise feel comfortable asking

     

    Audio record a memory for your family to keep

    or

    Help another family by sharing your experience

  • More information and links

    StoryCorps Website - a collection of exemplary stories

    UVM Medical Center StoryCorps - local stories from our own hospital

    Vermont Folklife Center's Unexpected Journeys: Life, Illness and Loss - a photography exhibit

     

    Interview Format and Tips - helpful ideas and approaches to your story

    Some great questions to get the ball rolling - feel free to come up with your own too!

    Media Consent Form UVM Medical Center

  • Who we are

    broken image

    Jacob B. Reibel

    UVM Medical Student

    2016-17 Schweitzer Fellow

    English teacher, Cancer researcher, Francophone, Singer, Photographer, Outdoor enthusiast

  • Contact

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    Email: jacob.reibel@med.uvm.edu

  • Affiliations

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    UVM College of Medicine

    Burlington, Vermont

    The University of Vermont Medical Center

    UVM Medical Center

    Burlington, Vermont

    The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship: Improving Health | Developing Leaders | Creating Change

    The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship

    preparing the next generation of professionals who will serve and empower vulnerable people to live healthier lives and create healthier communities

    Since its founding in 1940, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) has grown far beyond our original focus on supporting the Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, Africa. Over the years our mission evolved. Today, through the work of the Schweitzer Fellows, ASF extends our influence on community and clinical health in the United States and across the globe, thereby perpetuating the legacy and philosophy of famed physician-humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

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