Developing as a person

Getting involved in as many different social situations as I can is something that I want to aim towards in light of my hopes of becoming a future doctor. The more people that I meet, the greater my ability to empathise with future patients.

For example, The Ronald McDonald house project is something very close to my heart (haha the logo). To be honest, McDonald's is not really very good for my heart, but the project that has been created in connection with Westmead hospital has made it possible for families to stay with their young children who are in need of intensive hospital care. When my twin sisters were born, my parents fell in love with them - but they were also very overwhelmed. One of my sisters, Jacinta, was born with Down Syndrome. The other sister, Amanda, was born anaemic and jaundiced. Together, they pulled each other through the ordeal as all twins do. The irony was, Jacinta was actually a very easy birth - whereas for little Amanda, she had to go through multiple blood transfusions and other necessities to get her into good health. Whilst my mother was busy looking after my sisters, my dad and I were left with an incredible amount of free time, a reality that was both exciting and a little daunting. Ronald McDonald House is an accommodation facility for families who need an affordable place to stay whilst their loved ones receive treatment. They supply a bus for the families to use so that they do not get too bored sitting around in the hospital waiting rooms. Luckily enough, my dad just happened to have a bus licence (what do you know! I must get one of those) and so we started taking all of the families on tours around Sydney. It was my first trip to the zoo, the aquarium and walking along the foot path across the harbour bridge. It was then that I fell in love with Sydney. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

So, thirteen years later I decided to give a little back. Rotaract is running an ultimate cooking afternoon next Tuesday to provide meals for the many families staying at Ronald McDonald House. I remember bringing in frozen curries to put in the freezer at school for Ronald McDonald House, but this practise has since stopped. I think it was because you cannot guarantee that those meals were prepared in the most hygienic way. Understandable. So, we are going to be baking away in a commercial kitchen, in preparation for some hungry families! Yay!!

Three weeks ago I walked around Redfern as part of a Vinnies initiative called home visitations. Redfern is a diverse, dynamic and lively suburb, with a network of very individual stories to be shared.

 Under this program, Vinnies volunteers visit families that are presently in need, distributing food and clothing vouchers. We typically go on a Wednesday evening, because in the middle of the week there is less chance of rowdiness at night. We go from door to door, stopping to say hello to clients who have already called up the Vinnies HQ and requested assistance. Sometimes, we stop for a chat - these moments are precious to me as this is when we really see the human outcome for all the good works that Vinnies achieves. I think back to all the books and CD's that I have bought from Vinnies….and I realise that they were all really worth it. It is a similar feeling to that I experience at the Vinnies Brekkie Van, or the Vinnies Night Patrol. All the donations, time and effort begin to mean something when you see a smile appear on someone's face.