Discovering Project Lazarus in September of 2013 was truly
kismet for me.
Mere days prior, I had auditioned and landed the role of
Kimberly Bergalis in Loyola’s production of Patient
A. To provide a little context: Kimberly Bergalis was the first known individual
to contract HIV from a health care worker (her dentist), meaning this was the
first known instance of clinical transmission of the virus. The Bergalis family
commissioned playwright Lee Blessing to tell the story of her young life and
struggle with the disease, and thus, Patient
A was born. Played by three actors, the script is particularly compelling,
because it manages to weave Kim’s story against the backdrop of the greater
AIDS epidemic throughout the 1980s, all the while educating the audience. In
many ways, Blessing’s Patient A
reminds me of Shakespeare’s works in that they both highlight timeless themes
such as justice, life, death, and identity.
So, let’s rewind back to September 2013. I’ve had a few days
of Patient A rehearsal when Kelly
Brotzman enters my Spanish American
Narrative Memoirs as Political Texts classroom and presents our Service
Learning options for the semester. Plowing through the presentation, we pass APEX
Youth Center, the Harry Thompson Center, Passages Hospice & Sanctuary, as
well as numerous other worthy foundations. Waiting humbly at the bottom of the
list is Project Lazarus. As Ms. Brotzman begins explaining that Project Lazarus
is a transitional housing facility for people battling HIV and AIDS, I
immediately revel in the coincidental timing of my involvement in the
production with this opportunity. I knew I needed to be there.
Almost all desired things in life require a level of dedication
and work to achieve the pay-off. For me, this ambitious appetite and unwavering
work drive are key ingredients in reaping the benefits of Shakespeare’s dense
literary lasagna. Serving at Project Lazarus is no different. Residing in the
Marigny, its facilities are the farthest of all the service learning locations.
In addition, because of the gravity of Project Lazarus’ mission and serious
nature of its work, a résumé and interview are mandatory hurdles prior to
placement. As a carless undergraduate with no paper copy of a respectable
synopsis of my achievements to date, I had to procure mobility and a smart
résumé. It seemed this extra bit of “red-tape” deterred other volunteers,
because I was the only student at the time opting to volunteer there.
The beauty of serving at Project Lazarus for two sequential semesters
is the gift of witnessing growth and knowing that I have had a tiny hand in
that process. Seeing long-term goals come to fruition fills me with a sense of
incomparable pride, such as when a resident finally reaches the degree of
financial, mental, and medical stability to move out and practice healthy
independence. I feel confident that considering my time at Project Lazarus
through the lens of Shakespeare’s rich social commentary will lead to a
well-rounded critical experience.
