Personal Story
A Life Changing Experience
Being a volunteer Candy Striper at the Veterans
Administration Hospital changed my life. My grandma
taught me a lot about nursing. She wanted me to be a nurse
like her. We lived in Alaska for four years while my dad
was in the Army. While there, I took a course in CPR and
learned the Heimlich maneuver. When we returned from
Alaska, I volunteered at the VA Bay Pines Hospital as a
Candy Striper.
One night, after a nice dinner at a friend's home, I went
to my Candy Striper job at the hospital. I went to one of the
rooms to take care of a patient. When I went in, I found him
sitting in bed choking on a piece of chicken. It wasn't a
good situation. I put my arms around him two times and
gave him the Heimlich maneuver. The chicken came out of
his mouth. After it was over, he called the nurse and told
her I saved his life. The VA gave me a certificate for saving
his life at the VA Regional Office. The VA officials, doctor,
nurses, my parents, sister, and other volunteers were there.
I was very happy that I knew what to do. Learning is a good
thing. I am studying for my GED so I can learn more and
become a teacher.
Amanda Mattingly is a Literacy Council of St. Petersburg’s student.
Amanda wants her GED. She and her tutor Jackie are working on it and
won’t stop until she gets there.
Life Lessons of My Childhood
At times everyone looks back and sees things that they
would like to change about their life. Sometimes I look back
and see things I would change. Most people would prefer to
change their weight or something physical about
themselves. Personally, if I could change my childhood, I
believe my life would be totally different. I learned lessons
from my parents the hard way about choosing the right or
wrong paths in life. They made choices during my
childhood that showed me that if you make wrong choices
and decisions, it can be life altering. And it will not just
affect your own life, but others around you too. To be fair to