Abhirhoop Saha remembers the first patient he ever visited.
As he stood at her bedside at Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital, the woman explained that she had broken her leg falling down the stairs, and confided to him her misgivings.
She was worried about how her injury might affect her family.
“It really got me thinking, these are individual people with their own lives,” Saha said as he patrolled the hallways of the Misericordia one recent December afternoon.
“And maybe me just talking to them a little bit could help out just that little bit more.”
‘It’s a really rewarding experience’
Saha, 17, volunteers his time at Villa Caritas and the Misericordia Hospital, where he works as a nursing ambassador. The Old Scona Academic high school student also served as the youth secretary of the Bengali Cultural Society of Edmonton, and works as a DJ in his spare time.
Saha was among more than 20 Edmontonians profiled in Edmonton AM‘s ‘super volunteer’ holiday radio series.
“It’s great seeing the people that I’m interacting with being affected in a positive way,” Saha said.
“It’s a really rewarding experience. I’ve built so many friendships.”
Villa Caritas is an acute mental health facility that specializes in caring for seniors with complex health issues.
Saha said his time at the senior’s facility has been especially rewarding. There he has more time to build a rapport with patients.
“They’re there for a much longer time, for months and years at time, so you really get to know a patient over time, and you get to see how they change and how your presence affects them. And that’s really something.
“There are some unique personalities and, over time, people start to remember you, too. And that’s really great, making a difference.”
‘I just wanted to give back’
Saha has a general interest in medicine, but said volunteering is about giving back. He has been encouraging his friends to follow suit.
“I just wanted to give back to my community,” he said. “I know I have a lot of free time and I know most people don’t always do something productive with that. But I wanted to do something helpful.”
“I definitely plan on volunteering here for many, many more years.”
Listen to Edmonton AM with host Mark Connolly, weekday mornings at CBC Radio One, 93.9 FM in Edmonton. Follow the morning crew on Twitter @EdmAMCBC.