Bailey L.

Julian

Dr. Monsour

SLA 400 75 Senior Integrative Seminar

June 27, 2021

My Vocation

After reading through Laborem Exercens by Pope John Paul II and listening to

the interview with John Lewis and Krista Tippett on the “On Going” podcast, my view on

the words “job” and “work” has vastly changed. Before, I viewed them as synonymous,

and they meant the same thing but are used differently depending on the context of the

situation. Now, I see the difference that a job is a salary paying career, but work is much

different. Work is what somebody strives for, their goals and aspirations. Work, or

vocation, is the big picture or the light at the end of the tunnel. For example, artists and

musicians such as Vincent van Gogh and Ludwig van Beethoven’s work was their

painting/music. These were things that they put their time, energy, and emotions into

because this is what they loved to do. Both are famous for their work and are viewed as

the best to ever do it by some.

Now reflecting on myself, I would say that my vocation is my ongoing efforts to

reach out and help people who need help. In December of 2016, I was diagnosed with

Stage III Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of cancer that replicates in the lymph nodes and

causes many different symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, chills, and night sweats.

Whenever I was admitted into UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, I wasn’t allowed

to wear clothes from home, instead I had to wear a tie-in-the-back gown and no slip

socks because of hospital protocols. After two and a half weeks in the hospital, I was
sick and tired of not wearing pants. I felt like less of a human because I was in a foreign

place wearing uncomfortable attire while undergoing countless tests to determine my

treatment plan. At this time, the child life worker found a pair of camo pajama bottoms

that were my size and gave them to me. That pair of pajama pants provided me with a

feeling of comfort, probably because I now had something to cover my legs with other

than a blanket. Once I was discharged from the hospital about one month post

diagnosis, I learned that the pajama bottom stock for patients was barely existent,

especially ones that would fit teenagers. This lack of pajamas gave me an opportunity

for me to give back to the hospital and to reach out to the future cancer diagnosis. A few

weeks later, I held a 50/50 fundraiser at my school’s ice hockey banquet to raise money

to buy pajama bottoms and donate back to the oncology unit at CHP. After the banquet,

my mom made a Facebook fundraiser to add to the 50/50 proceeds. Once this was all

said and done. There was enough money raised to donate 200+ pairs of pajama

bottoms, to the oncology unit. This was the first fundraiser for what is now known as

Bailey’s Bottoms and Random Acts of Kindness, a non-profit organization I started with

the help of my mother to continue to give back to the hospital. Every year since 2017,

we have donated a pair of pajama bottoms to every new cancer patient at CHP to

ensure that they do not have to feel the level of uncomfort to go pantless for weeks. In

addition to pajama bottoms, Bailey’s Bottoms also stocks the kitchenettes in the

oncology units. During my stay, the shelves were bare. Now, the shelves are stocked

with chips, crackers, fruit snacks, K Cups for the Keurig, you name it. Providing for the

families that often are overwhelmed by the diagnosis of their child has been something

that I have found love in and will continue to do as long as I need to. I know what it is
like to be in their shoes. Feeling overwhelmed, nervous, and scared takes over initially,

but a sense of hope and encouragement is what they need most. Personally, I found it

most encouraging when a family member, teammate, or friend would reach out by

writing a letter and mail it to the hospital. After it eventually found its way to my room,

reading their words of encouragement gave me a sense of hope and a willingness to

keep fighting. The opening statement from John Lewis’s interview from the On Going

podcast definitely made me think of what I have been able to accomplish through

Bailey’s Bottoms. “When we were sitting in, it was love in action. When we went on the

freedom ride, it was love in action. The march from Selma to Montgomery was love in

action. We do it not simply because it’s the right thing to do, but it’s love in action.”

(Lewis, On Going) This struck me because he repeated the words “love in action.” This

shows that a little bit of initiative and purpose can accomplish anything. Spreading love,

to me, is the most important thing someone can do, and love is what connects us all as

humans. When Pope John Paul II speaks about work in section 11, Dimensions of the

Conflict, he says that “work is seen as a great reality with a fundamental influence on

the shaping in a human”, and he goes on to say, “Even when it is accompanied by toil

and effort, work is still something good, and so man develops through love for work.”

(Pope John Paul II, Laborem Exercens) This quote makes me think of myself because

everything I have been through in my life up to this point has shaped me, and that even

though sometimes things are hard, I push through because of my vocation to give back.

Moving forward, I will continue my work of giving back and helping the people

who need it most. My goal is to create a sense of hope for people who need a little bit of
encouragement and a reason to keep fighting their fight. Hopefully, I inspire some

people to reciprocate my work and make giving back a part of their lives.