From a young age, Kimiko wanted to be a doctor. But it was her mother’s long battle with cancer that inspired her to choose Waipuna Hospice as her community placement.
‘My Mum immigrated to New Zealand from Japan when she was quite young, despite not speaking very good English and having no support around her. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer when I was a child, and again with uterine cancer when I was in high school. Throughout her entire experience she had fantastic doctors, was referred quickly, and the specialists were great. In the end they saved her life not once, but twice,’ shares Dr Sharpe.
What Kimiko didn’t realise at the time was that while her Mum’s cancer was cured, no one ever tried to look beyond the diagnosis to see the woman fighting for her life with young children to support. ‘We were at my friend’s house one day and her mother was a doctor. They started discussing her experience with cancer. After a while my Mum burst into tears. I remember realising that no one had ever taken the time to sit down with her and see her for who she really was – a confused young Mum, who was foreign and doing things all on her own. This wonderful person stopped and made sure she took the time to talk to my Mum, answer her questions and help her understand. She did what no one else had, and while it was just a conversation, it meant the world to my Mum.’
‘I knew then that I wanted to be that person – a doctor who spends time with people, truly listening and helping as much as I can.’
Kimiko went on to pursue a career in medicine, studying in Otago, Wellington, and Italy. When it was time to select her community placements, Kimiko’s first choice was Waipuna Hospice, where she could truly support the community. It was always the emotional connections and the ability to make a real difference that had driven this young lady.
For the last three months, Kimiko has been helping her patients by advocating on their behalf, easing both their physical and emotional pain: ‘When people come in to hospice, they often have anxieties or concerns. They are frightened. I love being able to tell them they can stop being a carer now, and instead be a wife again, or a son again. Hospice will take care of everything else. In this environment, literally all we can do is help our patients live the life of their choosing. It’s incredible. Terminal patients can’t be cured, but they can have a lot of life left that’s worth living.’
‘I think I love this work so much because it’s not just about the problems, but about the people. At Waipuna Hospice, patients can put photos on the wall, they wear their own clothes, and their families come in. The staff spend so much more time with them. They really care for them as people, not just patients.’
The only way for Waipuna Hospice to continue doing what they do the way they do it is with the help of the donations. Donate today to ensure that staff like Dr Kimiko Sharpe are available to care for terminal patients, both young and old.
