Kathleen carries on after house fire

Outstanding volunteer Kathleen Sheehan.

by CHRISTINE GOUNDER
LOWER HUTT — Even after 22 years, Kathleen Sheehan is dedicated to her volunteer shift at Te Omanga hospice in Lower Hutt, to do her bit for patients and families going through a difficult time.
So loyal is Ms Sheehan to her job, that she still went to work the day after her house was lost to a fire in 2009.
“Well, what else would you do. You would have gone to work too. My embarrassment was that I had nothing to wear,” she said with a chuckle.
“There was a wardrobe in the front of the house that was all smoked, but I managed to get a skirt out, but, oh, the smell of the smoke was terrible.”
She did not tell anyone at work about the fire, but they sensed something was wrong, because she stunk of smoke.

Outstanding volunteer Kathleen Sheehan.


Ms Sheehan is a parishioner at Sts Peter and Paul Church, Lower Hutt, and was named an Outstanding Achiever in the 2013 Minister of Health Volunteer Awards this year.
Te Omanga Hospice nominated her for the award and the 85-year-old only agreed to it to encourage other people to volunteer as well.
“There are a lot of other volunteers at the hospice as well, not only me.”
Ms Sheehan helps with administration and secretarial work.
“The nurses and the doctors do a wonderful job, and I just feel that if I can just do one little thing to help, it’s helping them too.”
She is known at the hospice for putting people at ease with her positive and easygoing cheeky nature.
“You can pick if they are worried or what their concern is, and it’s so wonderful if you can say something to help them and to assure them that they will be looked after.
“It just feels good to be able to give them and their families something.”

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