Wei-Ping Hung

One of the great joys of my life for the last several years has been volunteering in the Outpatient Chemotherapy area at Mayo. I visit with the patients while they are receiving their treatments, which can sometimes take hours.

Visiting may sound like a pretty simple thing to do, but frequently the simple things can mean so much. A smile, a reassuring word, some fun conversation to help pass the time, all are most welcome by the patients during their treatments. A visit from a friendly Mayo volunteer can usually help them to have a better day.

But that is only half of the story. The other half is what it does for me. The warmth that I receive, the good feeling I get from helping somebody, the opportunity to share conversation with interesting people from all over the world, all these and more are the rewards that I receive. In addition, my volunteering helps me to feel connected in a special way to the community in which I live.

I can truly say that volunteering at Mayo has become an essential part of my life. I don't think I could get along without it.