Nelson Rodrigues and John Tran are a packaged deal.
They have been volunteering together on the same shift for a year and a half, and they have their routine entirely mapped out.
John and Nelson volunteer at Kensington Hospice, a 10-bed, residential hospice located near Kensington Market. The hospice provides free end-of-life care to residents, and bereavement support to families and friends. The hospice has more than 180 volunteers who support food and nutrition services, resident and family care, reception and music therapy.
“When we work at the hospice, we aren't just friends but we become colleagues and partners,” says John.
“We call on each other for help if we need it, and because of our training at the hospice we can play multiple roles. I can wash dishes if I see Nelson needs help, and vice versa.” The two have gotten to a point where they can sense when the other needs a hand.
“There is a joke going around at the hospice that I am an awful baker,” says Nelson. “One time I baked muffins and overfilled the tin so they all turned into one giant muffin. Now if a resident requests baked goods, John will take over.”
Both Nelson and John are studying in the health sciences. Nelson is a first-year Master's student at the University of Toronto, researching depression and seasonal affective disorder, and John is in the second year of his Ph. D., researching anatomy and pain management. They feel what they’ve learned at the hospice takes them far beyond the classroom, and offers a unique perspective on the health sciences.
A new perspective in health care
Nelson started volunteering at the hospice to help people, learn new skills and develop a new perspective in health care. He didn’t expect volunteering at the hospice would also bring him a sense of fulfillment, purpose and a feeling of being more grounded. “I have friends who think volunteering at a hospice is depressing,” says Nelson. “I correct them and tell them that the hospice is not depressing at all. It is a light, happy and sometimes somber place. I have shared many warm memories with people at the hospice, and I look forward to spending time here.”
“This experience is not something you can learn in school,” says John. “Volunteering at the hospice has allowed me to cultivate compassion and empathy, virtues that are essential and learned through experience. I will volunteer here for the rest of my life.”
For John, his journey to volunteering at the hospice started with a health scare that led him to reevaluate what was most important to him. He left his corporate job to study and found out about the hospice through a friend at U of T.
“I came here initially for the experience,” says John, “but I've stayed here because of the sense of fulfillment and joy I get when I am caring for others. It is paramount, and for me, it’s what it means to be human.”