Saving one suffocating man and watching another die in the operation room are only the start of my journey as a volunteer at the hospitals at USC, UCLA, and Kaiser. Over the course of a year, I have logged not only about what it means to volunteer and stay sane in the hospital setting, but also the life lessons that one learns when coping with death, commitment, and most importantly, people. Restraining a dementia-stricken patient from pulling out his IV is one thing, but when you are talking face-to-face with a man who is "seeing his final start tonight," you are no longer the same person who walked into that patient room. It is one thing when you are a grown man witnessing a death firsthand, but it is completely different to deal with multiple deaths on a daily basis, especially when you are...17. I am 17 and I have seen the other side of the hospital counter. Join me as I recollect my experiences and take you on an intellectual journey of expanding horizons, breaking boundaries, and the ultimate truth of what it means to volunteer in a hospital, day in and day out.