The Child Nobody Wanted Became the Man Who Refused to Let Anyone Die Feeling Unloved
Part 1 — The Beginning of a Journey God Had Planned for Me
By Jeffrey Badders
For much of my childhood, I was a foster child trying to navigate through darkness, searching for the light and love of God.
I didn't know then where my journey would take me. I didn't know what my purpose would be or how the things I had experienced would become part of the man I was growing into.
But I knew what it felt like to be unwanted.
And that feeling stayed with me.
Years later, I would begin a journey that would change the direction of my life. It was a journey that would eventually span 36 years, take me across different states, and teach me something about the meaning of dignity, respect, privacy, kindness, and love.
That journey was hospice.
I started working in hospice in 1990, in Kansas.
At the time, I worked for a hospice company that had me traveling throughout Kansas. On the weekends, I also worked for a medical staffing agency, going into nursing homes.
I was always working two jobs.
And I want to make something very clear about being a hospice aide.
I'm not afraid to say that I am a hospice aide. I've spent 36 years doing this work, and I believe there is something important people need to understand about it.
It's not just about cleaning someone up.
It's about giving someone dignity.
It's about giving someone respect.
It's about protecting their privacy.
It's about showing kindness and love to a person who is facing the end of life.
Those words mean something to me because I know what it feels like to go through life looking for love, acceptance, and understanding.
When I think about my journey, I don't just think about the work I performed. I think about the person I was, the child I had been, and the purpose I was still discovering.
My journey wasn't confined to one place. Over the years, my path took me through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Missouri.
But this story isn't a collection of stories about the people I cared for.
This story is about me.
It's about where I came from, the roads I traveled, the questions I carried, and the things I would discover about my own life.
There were still parts of my past I didn't understand. There were questions about my family that remained unanswered. And there were chapters of my life that I had yet to confront.
I had started a journey in 1990 without knowing everything that was waiting for me along the way.
And as I continued traveling, working, and trying to understand the purpose God had planned for me, I would discover that my journey was about much more than a career.
It was about finding my own place in this world.
The child who once searched for love was becoming a man determined to give dignity, respect, kindness, and love to others.
But my journey was far from over.
There were still roads to travel.
There were still questions waiting for answers.
And there was a part of my family history that would eventually bring me face-to-face with someone I had spent much of my life wondering about.
TO BE CONTINUED…