She got the call while having lunch with her daughter and some friends. A patient she had been visiting for more than two years as a VITAS volunteer was actively dying. The social worker thought she might want to know. She dropped everything and went to the patients bedside.
“I said to her, Im here, its okay. If you want to go now, I love you and I will miss you, but its okay. And she died,” recalls Diane J. Nardiello, a volunteer for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Dade-Monroe. “I had become her only family over those two years, so she was very special to me.”
Its those special connections that Diane, a VITAS volunteer for six years, treasures most. In fact, shes known for finding ways to connect with even the most challenging patients.
“I just look around for something that might serve as a common denominator in order to spark conversation,” explains the retired graphic sales manager. “I once had a patient who I had been warned didnt talk much. I noticed she had a dish of chocolates on her table, so I asked her if she liked chocolate. That led to a conversation in which we discovered that we both love chocolate-covered raisins. I was able to open up a dialogue with her even if it was just about chocolate.”
Diane started volunteering at VITAS after witnessing the companys care of her own father and of her, a grieving daughter. “When he died, the VITAS team was with me through the night. Just knowing they were there if I needed anything was reassuring.” She decided she wanted to give a little of that reassurance back.
When shes volunteering, Diane tries to make each patients day special. She drives them to doctors appointments, bakes them birthday cakes or plays a round of dominoes. She says hospice volunteering helps her put her own life into perspective. She doesnt think about the fact that her patients are terminally ill.
“Theyre just people I know and visit,” she says. “We talk about what were going to do next week. We dont look at a calendar, thinking that they might not be here. We just live.
“Its gratifying and uplifting,” concludes Diane. “I get a good sense about myself.” And when the day came that Diane got another call from VITAS, it was for a reason that made her efforts pay off she had won the Dade-Monroe programs 2007 Volunteer of the Year award.
She got the call while having lunch with her daughter and some friends. A patient she had been visiting for more than two years as a VITAS volunteer was actively dying. The social worker thought she might want to know. She dropped everything and went to the patients bedside. 
