Ayşe Şahin, starts each day portioning, distributing and serving meals to the many patients across Kayseri City Hospital in Türkiye. Working at the hospice, she meets people at their most vulnerable moments and helps those going through a difficult time.
“I make sure meals are diet-friendly, hot and on time but it’s a brief smile or a warm hello that can make a patient’s day,” Ayşe says. “I believe that kindness and care can really help people heal. Connecting with patients and supporting them emotionally brings me joy.”
One day, while serving food in the children’s cancer ward, Ayşe overheard a doctor speaking with a mother of a teenage patient. The young girl was about to lose her hair due to treatment, and her mother wanted to help her cut it before the treatment made it fall out.
“She was such a young girl, and her hair was her confidence. I wanted to be there for her, so because of my background as a hairdresser, I offered to cut her hair.”
Due to infection risks, no external hairdresser was allowed to enter the room, so Ayşe’s offer brought immediate joy and relief to the family. With permission from the hospital, Ayşe carefully prepared a sterile environment to cut the young patient’s hair.
“When I first offered to help, the young patient and her mother hugged themselves and cried with happiness. When I was cutting her hair, I wanted to make her feel special. I cut and styled it short and used the hair to make a wig for her. She kept her hair styled that way until it started to fall. When she eventually put the wig on, she was so happy. It meant a lot to me to see her smiling.”
"When I was cutting her hair, I wanted to make her feel special. It meant a lot to me to see her smiling."
Ayse Sahin
Before joining ISS, Ayşe, 34, had a very different career: “I started working as a hairdresser at a very young age, when I was 12 years old,” she says. “I didn’t get the chance to finish high school because I had to support my family. But while working, I did courses and got all my certifications but life ended up taking me in a different direction.”
While having learned many lessons from her professional background as hairdresser, Ayşe has found her purpose working at ISS:
“I’ve done many things during my two years at ISS and I hope to continue to grow my career here. Every day, I work to provide high-quality, caring service to patients and to help those around me to feel better.
Reflecting on her role as part of the catering services team, Ayşe emphasises:
“The patient’s wellbeing is my top priority. I always try to be one step ahead by listening closely to their requests and thinking about what they might need. What I love most about my job is helping others.”