Volunteer's lifeline
HOSPICE HELP: Working at the Ponsonby Hospice Shop has helped stroke survivor Sonia Scott's recovery. Volunteering at the Ponsonby Hospice Shop is just the lifeline stroke survivor Sonia Scott needed. The Sandringham resident suffered a brain haemorrhage about two years ago after weeks of headaches. An operation to stop the bleeding was successful but Sonia suffered a debilitating stroke just days later. A miracle recovery followed after doctors gave her only days to live but the mum-of-one was left without the ability to speak or do everyday tasks. "At that stage I was like a kid. If I wanted a coffee, I had to think: Now what do I do?" "I'd get the water then have to think what to do next." Months of rehabilitation helped but working one or two days a week at the Ponsonby Hospice Shop boosted the former travel consultant's confidence hugely. "I just wanted to work, help myself and some other people as well. Otherwise you just get really bored." The shop supports the Mercy Hospice Auckland which celebrates its awareness week from May 16 to 22. Sonia has learned to drive again, improved her speech greatly and can look after her four-year-old daughter Paige independently since she began volunteering. "Before I could do an hour or two with her – that's it. Now she's two days with us and three days in daycare." Sonia says there are still moments when she struggles to explain what she means but things come back to her all the time. "Sometimes I know what I want to say but I can't get it out." Sonia's partner David Carroll says working at the hospice shop has provided her with plenty of positives. "It's helped restore Sonia's confidence. It also drove her to get more independent and to get her driver's licence." Mercy Hospice offers a range of services to the terminally ill and their families. Chief executive Jan Nichols says volunteers play a vital role in the organisation's fundraising and operational efforts. "One of the most inspiring and rewarding aspects of work at Mercy Hospice Auckland is our partnership with the community. Without the assistance of our army of volunteers we would not be able to provide the range of services we do." She says volunteers work in hospice shops and help run a number of programmes including aromatherapy massage, biography and art and transport patients when needed. "Hospice Awareness Week is a great opportunity for us to break myths surrounding hospice care and to celebrate the amazing support we receive from our volunteers." The organisation raises about $2.3 million a year to make up a shortfall in government funding through its shops, street collections during awareness week and a range of other initiatives. Article by Scott Morgan. Photography by Jason Oxenham |