One of Ballad Health’s six values, as determined by team members, is faith. “We nurture the mind, body and spirit of each individual to inspire hope and improve the health and well-being of our community.” Our chaplains across the system guide us in this process, so we are featuring them in a series of profiles in Ballad Health News. Today we feature Matt Hallam, chaplain at Holston Valley Medical Center.
My father worked for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, so we moved a lot when I was growing up. Home for me has always been where my mom and dad are.
When I was a kid in Colorado, I had a desire to play baseball. I was gifted at it. At 13, I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited, progressive disorder that affects the eyes and leads to blindness. I was playing high school ball in middle school and realized I couldn’t see the ball at night. That’s when the recruiters started backing off. I was angry because I couldn’t play sports anymore so I dropped out of high school my senior year.
I was floundering. I was angry at God for shutting down my world. I was mad at my entire family. My dad kicked me out of the house. He said, “Son, you think your life is over because you can’t play ball. But you have so much more to offer. If you want to throw your life away, there’s the door.” So, I left. He told me, “When you figure things out, give me a call and I’ll help you through school.”
A few months later, I called Dad and said, “I do want to go to school but it’s hard for me to keep up.” He said he’d be right there. He drove me home and helped me through school. I ended up graduating with a 4.0. Looking back, I’m glad he showed me tough love.
I’ve always been a spiritual person. One day I was walking to the ballfields and a friend who was a chaplain came up to me. He said, “Have you ever thought about being a chaplain?” I hadn’t. I didn’t even know what it meant to be a chaplain. He walked with me and told me what I needed to do to be one. I’d need a college degree, then a Master of Divinity and then clinical pastoral education (CPE) units. It would take about 10 years. It was a lot to consider.
Not long after that, I woke in the middle of the night and heard the Lord speak to me. He said, “Go to Southern, Matt.” After that, I enrolled in Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, and studied the ministry. My senior year I volunteered as a chaplain. I went to seminary in Michigan, and was a youth pastor in Oregon. I did a chaplain internship there. Then I moved to Wyoming and received my certification. I’ve been a minister for 20 years and have been pastoring for the past 13.
Six years ago, my father got a job at a church in Tennessee. My wife and I also had three kids going to school in Tennessee. I decided to look for a job there, too. In January 2019, I was offered the chaplain job at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport. I cover everything from trauma to psychiatry, cardiology, labor and delivery, and neonatal intensive care.
I think my disability gives people a different perspective on their own pain and suffering. When I walk into a room, I have an obvious disability. I notice most people are comfortable opening up to me. I don’t have to ask questions; they just start talking. Even though I’m blind, I’m very perceptive. My best friend tells me all the time I have more vision than most people.
Being blind can make work a challenge, but Ballad Health has been very supportive. I have screen-reader software programs on my computer that read emails and what I’m typing aloud. But most software programs are not compatible with electronic medical records. Ballad Health is in the process of building a rover application for iPhone which will help me chart my notes. They’re really going out of their way to let me be as independent and self-sufficient as possible, and I feel good about that here.
Sometimes this work can be stressful. I work with other chaplains and have the chance to process things and debrief with them. That’s a very important piece for dealing with stress. I also enjoy going on mission trips. A few years ago, I started God’s Hands Ministries to build churches in Third World countries. It helps me stay connected to my church and helps me step back and do something different for a couple weeks.
I feel called to the ministry, but I really like the teaching and writing sides of ministry. A goal of mine is to teach college in the future. I’m considering getting a PhD in Christian ethics. Even if I don’t teach with my PhD, it is something that I can use with my ministry here at the hospital or on mission trips. I told my dad I want to start on it while he’s still able to help me. He said, “I’ll help.” With my dad being an educator, I have that connection to him. And I really want him to be a part of that next step in my life.
