Women We Admire:
Torrey Joël DeVitto
JAN/FEB 2012: ISSUE 21
JAN/FEB 2012: ISSUE 21
WRITTEN BY: Nicole Landers
Success doesn’t always equal fulfillment, a lesson actress Torrey Joël DeVitto learned early in life. Having achieved the actor’s holy grail – a regular TV show – (she currently stars on the hit CW television series, “Vampire Diaries” and in a recurring guest role for ABC Family’s hit show, “Pretty Little Liars”), she found herself on a path she never even thought of: End of life care via hospice.
Torrey is now the first ever Hospice Ambassador, and has been volunteering for almost five years with a hospice outside of Los Angeles. Having never heard of this kind of volunteer work prior to finding it on the Internet, she did some research and gave a local group a call. After her training, she went right into helping her first patient and knew instantly this was exactly what she was looking to do.
She shares, “To most, death is an incredibly scary and taboo idea. Hospice provides a shoulder to lean on... and the important duty of easing the fears and doubts that naturally reside in our minds as we approach the end of our lifetime. There is nothing I am more proud or passionate about than being a part of this work. It is a life-long commitment for me. My hope is to inspire others to join me in this fulfilling journey.”
Growing up in New York she spent most of her early years traveling on the road with her parents (her dad played drums for Billy Joel for 28 years). By the time Torrey could walk her heart was in music and acting. In her wildest dreams she never thought she would be a caregiver. “When I first started my training, the woman training me shared the Hospice slogan, “No one dies alone.” I love that slogan! I think that really sums up perfectly what Hospice is all about.” Torrey knows first hand that this is not easy work. “The greatest challenge doing this work thus far has probably been being around moments of sadness that the patients go through. But all the good outweighs the bad in doing this because meeting the people and being there for them at such a crucial time is incredible,“ she says.
To join Torrey or learn more, log on to
www.caringinfo.org/torrey
Success doesn’t always equal fulfillment, a lesson actress Torrey Joël DeVitto learned early in life. Having achieved the actor’s holy grail – a regular TV show – (she currently stars on the hit CW television series, “Vampire Diaries” and in a recurring guest role for ABC Family’s hit show, “Pretty Little Liars”), she found herself on a path she never even thought of: End of life care via hospice.
Torrey is now the first ever Hospice Ambassador, and has been volunteering for almost five years with a hospice outside of Los Angeles. Having never heard of this kind of volunteer work prior to finding it on the Internet, she did some research and gave a local group a call. After her training, she went right into helping her first patient and knew instantly this was exactly what she was looking to do.
She shares, “To most, death is an incredibly scary and taboo idea. Hospice provides a shoulder to lean on... and the important duty of easing the fears and doubts that naturally reside in our minds as we approach the end of our lifetime. There is nothing I am more proud or passionate about than being a part of this work. It is a life-long commitment for me. My hope is to inspire others to join me in this fulfilling journey.”
Growing up in New York she spent most of her early years traveling on the road with her parents (her dad played drums for Billy Joel for 28 years). By the time Torrey could walk her heart was in music and acting. In her wildest dreams she never thought she would be a caregiver. “When I first started my training, the woman training me shared the Hospice slogan, “No one dies alone.” I love that slogan! I think that really sums up perfectly what Hospice is all about.” Torrey knows first hand that this is not easy work. “The greatest challenge doing this work thus far has probably been being around moments of sadness that the patients go through. But all the good outweighs the bad in doing this because meeting the people and being there for them at such a crucial time is incredible,“ she says.
To join Torrey or learn more, log on to
www.caringinfo.org/torrey
