Ashley Fujii, Hospice Volunteer at Luminary Hospice
I often hear that “people work or volunteer in hospice because they want to work or volunteer in hospice.” I believe it is a calling.
We all encounter situations where we question whether we are good enough for something or whether we can live up to standards set for the job or experience. You know – a little self-doubt. However, in the many years I have had the honor of working so closely with so many hospice staff and volunteers, it seems to me that if someone takes the time to become a hospice volunteer (often a vigorous onboarding process) that they will be amazing.
The nomination below demonstrates that very sentiment.
Ashley Edwards, Volunteer Services Manager, nominated Ashley Fujii and here is what she had to say about her:
Ashley reached out to us last year to inquire about hospice volunteering. She had recently retired and her only experience with hospice was with her father several years ago. She wanted to add something meaningful to her life and thought this might be worth a try.
She was very engaged during training but was clearly a little nervous and doubting whether or not she would be “good” at this. I thought we would probably need to start out slowly with her visits. It became quickly apparent that she is an incredibly loving and giving person and, when she stopped doubting herself, is an exceptional hospice volunteer. She has a gentle nature and always offers a smile and a kind word. She is very good at understanding what people need - whether they want to talk and reminisce or just enjoy a gentle hand hold and another person’s quiet presence. As her Volunteer Coordinator, I wish I had ten Ashleys! She is 100% dependable and I never have to worry about whether or not she will follow through on something.
Our patients love her, and in addition to her clinical notes, she contacts me after every visit to let me know how it went. I love these updates. She adores our patients as well as their families and has become a trusted respite provider for several of our families. It means the world to them to be able to leave the house occasionally and know their loved one is in good hands. She was initially very unsure of vigil sitting, but after going through training, told me she would like to try it. She is now one of my most dependable volunteers when we have vigil needs. She will also come into the office at the drop of a hat to help with administrative tasks, crafts, events.... whatever we need.
My favorite story about Ashley has to be when she sang for one of our patients. During our volunteer orientation, when we were going over ideas of how to spend time with patients, I suggested singing for them. I remember Ashley said she would be willing to do pretty much anything but that, because she is a “horrible singer.” Well, of course, on her second visit with a woman who was dying of brain cancer, that’s exactly what the patient asked her to do - and of course, she did. The patient died a few weeks later and Ashley attended the funeral and presented the patient’s husband with a framed photo of his wife and the lyrics to the song they sang (Sing a Song, by the Carpenters). I received this update from her: “I did go to the service on Saturday. I was there for about an hour. It was really nice and there was a huge turnout. I got to talk to her husband for a few minutes, and he seems to be holding up pretty well. Lots of family came into town so I think he’s got a pretty good support system. A couple people who saw my badge seemed to recognize the Luminary name and have a positive response. I got a sense that her husband was really happy with the support he got, especially her case manager. If you remember me telling you… she convinced me to sing this song with her. You know how I dread singing. So, I made this for her husband and gave it to him Saturday. He seemed to really like it. He added me (maybe accidentally) to a text message he sent to his family with a picture of it and saying how much he liked it and was going to proudly display it in the house."
Ashley is a one-in-a-million type of person. We adore her here at Luminary and would love to see her generous heart and spirit honored with this award.
Congratulations, Ashley. You exemplify what it means to be a hospice caregiver.