Medical student Jasmin Cheng began volunteering in Hospice North Shore’s kitchen at eighteen years of age, after finishing high school at Rangitoto College. With a long summer break ahead, volunteering for Hospice seemed like “a kinda nice thing to do.” Initially drawn to a brief stint in the shops never imagined she would spend the next five years as a regular weekend volunteer in the Hospice Inpatient Unit kitchen.
She is enthusiastic about her volunteering experience with Hospice describing it as “fun and an opportunity to meet very different people – patients, families, other volunteers and staff”. She realises that she only got to know a small part of the patients’ stories, for the time they were at in the Inpatient Unit, and she witnessed first-hand “how grateful the patients and their families are for the services provided.”
Now two years into studying for a medical degree at Auckland University, Jasmin describes her decision to volunteer for Hospice as “random”. She is quick to admit that she didn’t know a lot about Hospice and only really found out about what the charity does when she was researching on the computer. The things that appealed to her were the range of roles available and the flexibility with what she could do, the streamlined application process and the location; being easy to get to from her home in Albany. “It ticked all the boxes” says Jasmin.
Jasmin says it was nice to have the same Housekeeper each week and the personal touches, like receiving birthday cards, were very much appreciated. Housekeeper, Tammy Butters acknowledged Jasmin’s commitment to volunteering: “She was very reliable, conscientious about arriving on time and letting me know well ahead of time if she wasn’t able to come. Her food presentation was meticulous and she was very friendly with the patients and their families. Her questioning mind was evident and she always found out why things were done the way they were. Jasmin worked well with the other volunteers and had a knack of turning hectic days into a calmer place with her can do attitude. I’m sure Jasmin will be a great doctor with her great problem solving and listening skills, patience and willingness to work hard. ”
Born in Taipei, Jasmin immigrated to New Zealand at the age of five, when her family moved to Torbay. It is no real surprise that she has ended up studying medicine. Her father is a doctor, her mum a laboratory technician and older brother a dentist. The only one to buck the trend is Jasmin’s sister, who studied music. This year Jasmin takes on the challenge of her first clinical year of study at Waikato Hospital and has moved to Hamilton with her fiancée Sam, who is also a medical student. We bid her farewell and thank her for her time and commitment to Hospice.
March 2016
For more information, please contact Volunteer Services by e-mail or on 09 485 3536.
