Beauty Glows with Dignity till the Last Moment

Running her own business in hairdressing and beauty service, Ms Jenny Law Chun-heung cares about appearance a lot. More than 30 years ago, in her voluntary visits to hospitals, Jenny noticed many cancer or terminally-ill patients did care about their own appearances, yet being ignored. She thus offered to give them haircut, bringing smiles onto many faces. Ever since, she has been applying her expertise to serve the patients. And, numerous real-life stories have strengthened her belief that hairdressing and beautified appearance do bring comfort to the ill, and enable the patients to complete their end-of-life journey with dignity.

 

Motivate Volunteering Peers

Jenny started visiting hospitals and elderly homes in the 1980s. Later, she focuses in volunteering for hairdressing and beauty service for cancer and terminally-ill patients in Lam Long Hospital and Grantham Hospital. Common conditions like patients' wounds on faces, or bad body smell, can hardly deter Jenny. She always helps beautify their appearances, with her charming smile and chats, bringing them warmth and joy.

 

Besides giving hairdressing, facials and manicures regularly in hospitals, she would bring along patients favourite food, so as to make them feel being loved. Even for those who are in coma, she would encourage their families and friends to visit them. Though unconscious, they can still feel the love and care from others, she believes. Whenever receiving a call from hospital that a dying patient needs her service, she would put down all tasks on hand and rush to serve. "It is my honour to provide a patient the last hairdressing and beauty service in their life, to let them bid farewell in dignity."

Jenny set up the Beautify Volunteer Group in 2000. She runs hairdressing courses at a very low cost and encourages the participants and other hairdressers to join her volunteering group. The Group now offers services for cancer patients in Grantham Hospital every month, provides free haircut at elderly homes, and organizes various community activities like tea-gathering for seniors and large-scale community haircut programme for free.

Through her decades of volunteering, she recognizes that some patients and women should get psychological support. She is liaising with related healthcare professionals in the hope of launching such service for the needy.