We are all familiar with the ‘Clap for Carers’ early in the pandemic.
Nurses at Kilsyth Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital turned the tables to clap for a caring young man.
Generous Humzah Razzaq (18), from Cumbernauld, raised £1000 for the hospital where he volunteered.
The sixth year student, and head boy at St Aloysius’ College in Glasgow, helped out every Saturday morning before the pandemic began in March 2020.
Humzah said: “I really enjoyed my time at the hospital, talking with the patients and learning about their life stories, it gave me a real change in perspective. It will be good to get back once the restrictions have eased.
“I hope to study medicine and volunteering at the hospital has given me some great experience. I’ve learned a lot about how a hospital functions and how to take care of patients from the staff and I will always be very grateful to them.”
Humzah raised the £1000 by recording a video message about his experience at the hospital and posting it to his Go Fund Me page with the aim of getting some extra resources for the patients.
Marie McGinty, senior charge nurse, said: “Humzah is a very caring, compassionate young man who demonstrates a maturity beyond his years.
“I am overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness in taking time out from his busy study schedule to raise this money for our patients.”
COVID-19 visiting restrictions have presented staff and patients with new challenges when attempting to provide recreational activities.
Humzah’s donation will be used to purchase a new dementia doll and new outdoor furniture where patients can relax and enjoy the outdoors in the summer months.
Marie added: “While speaking with Humzah, he expressed a desire to become a doctor, a career choice which I believe he would be very well suited to. On behalf of everyone at Kilsyth Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital, patients and staff, I would like to thank Humzah for his generous donation.”
Jackie Caskey, a staff nurse at the hospital for over 30 years, said: “Humzah was great with the patients. He used to play dominoes, listen to their stories and help out at mealtimes.
“We look forward to the day when we can welcome him back as we are all missing him.”
Proud parents, Mehmood and Saqib Razzaq, said: “Humzah enjoyed volunteering until lockdown started. With many patients being elderly and having dementia, he learned valuable skills on how to interact and communicate effectively with such patients and he formed friendships with many of them.
“When lockdown started he was unable to continue with his volunteering and decided to raise funds for the hospital in order to help purchase dementia dolls and any other equipment that would benefit the patients.
“As parents we are grateful to the hospital for giving Humzah this opportunity and we are very proud of his fundraising efforts.”
