TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Once a week, Jan Afonso packs her 40-plus inch carbon fiber harp in the trunk of her car and drives over to Peppi's House—a Tucson Medical Center Hospice Facility on Tucson's Eastside.
While some may view death as a taboo topic and hospice as a somber, or even scary, place, to Afonso and many others, it's a calling.
"It resets my clock," she said.
Afonso's one of around 75 volunteers in TMC's hospice program, playing her harp for patients and their families to bring a piece of peace to an otherwise overwhelming and stressful situation. She says once she picks the first few strings, "it’s not unusual for the tears to flow after just three notes.”
Volunteers have always been a crucial part of the hospice process according to Volunteer Coordinator Krista Durocher.
“There’s a lot of loneliness at the end of life" she said. There’s a lot of fear at the end of life," said Volunteer Coordinator Krista Durocher. "Each patient gets a hospice team. They get a medical director—of course—a nurse practitioner, a pharmacist. They get a social worker. They get a chaplain," adding that volunteers are a huge part of that team.
“Some people are scared to share certain things with their family members and maybe feel a little bit easier talking to a volunteer instead," Durocher said. "A lot of times, they’re sitting in silence with them. They’re just being supportive and being present.”
Many workers and volunteers—like Durocher and Afonso—have had family members pass throgu Peppi's House.
“While my mother was here at Peppi’s, I was able to leave the harp in her room," Afonso said. "So each day as I would come and spend time with her, I could play for her but also for every patient.”
She and others are continuing that work, so no one has to face their final chapter alone or afraid.
For anyone interested in joined the dedicated hospice volunteer force at TMC, you'll have to go through a background check, application process and training, but Afonso and the other volunteers say it's all worth it.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
