Charlotte Sanders volunteers full time at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Northwest Washington, helping patients recover from life-threatening injuries like her own. The Largo resident took the job immediately after recuperating from a traumatic brain injury, which put her in a coma for seven months. She struggles daily with an impaired memory, keeping her from her former job at IBM, where she sold technology nationwide.
How was it when you first volunteered?
I was very intimidated at first, but as I progressed through the program, I acclimated myself to the different therapies and therapists. I met a lot of people and knew what it was like to be upstairs [in the Brain Injury Unit] as a patient and then graduate downstairs as an outpatient. I help people who are able to survive this injury.
How do you deal with living a completely different life from before the injury?
It’s hard for me to explain missing something that I don’t remember. I knew whatever I was doing was really important. I knew I must have been doing something right. Right now, I’m really happy.
What is the most difficult part of the job?
Remembering what I’m supposed to be doing. I have a planner that I have to write everything down in. All the volunteers know that I have this memory deficiency. The team leader every day tells me what to do and then the team members help. I feel like it’s gotten much easier as the days have progressed. I really feel like I’m a part of the group now.
The best part?
I like going to visit the patients, talking to them and just meeting so many different people. They really become part of your family. … There was a little boy — very smart. He had a whole lot of questions. I had to use this book to find information for him. I felt good about that.
