Suse finds ‘abundance of life’ in hospice care

Hospice volunteer Suse Sligo

Suse Sligo has been volunteering for hospice for the past nine-and-a-half years.

She moved from Tauranga to Gisborne seven years ago after looking for an adventure.

“I wanted to move somewhere new, quirky and different so after looking around both the North Island and South Island, I settled on Gisborne,” she said.

Initially Suse volunteered at the Hospice Tairāwhiti store, helping sort through clothing and working on the till.

She then started helping out with office duties at Hospice Tairāwhiti itself but wanted to do something more fulfilling and this moved on to writing patient biographies.

Each person under the care of hospice is asked whether they would like a biography written about their lives, so their loved ones can have something to remember them by.

Suse visits the person at their house and interviews them about their life.

She considers it a rare privilege to write biographies for patients, as a relationship and trust must be formed first in order for the patient to trust her with writing their story.

“The trick to writing a good biography is making sure the person’s voice comes through quite strongly,” she said.

“That’s what I listen for, the person’s voice.

“I want the family to read what their loved ones have said and really capture the essence of that person’s life.”

What Suse loves about this particular volunteer role is that every single person is different and everybody has a story to tell.

“The biggest reward is that I learn something new from each person, every time.

“One gentleman said something along the lines of ‘I am filled with an abundance of life and love feeds my soul’.

“That man was terminal and knew he was dying and yet he found that sense of life, love and spirit.

“That is why I volunteer my time. It’s the people that make it special.”

Suse would like to encourage anyone who is wanting to volunteer to get in touch with the volunteer coordinator at Hospice Tairāwhiti as they are always looking for people to help out and there are a number of roles available.

Clarice Alderdice can be contacted via email clarice@hospicetairawhiti.org.nz.