Q: Hello Hau! You’ve been with North York General (NYGH) for an impressive 24 years. Do you remember your first day all those years ago?

Hau Vu: “I remember that from the beginning, I felt very welcomed in the lab. I found the people to be very caring, very devoted and compassionate. I really liked the hospital.

And now, today, I still love to work here, I feel the manager of my team really cares for the staff. I get to rotate through a number of different departments so there’s variety in the work.”

Q: What would you say has been your proudest moment as a NYGH team member?

Hau Vu: “I would say it was the time I encouraged someone to come to this hospital, and it saved her life. It was my friend’s daughter who was 22 years old at the time. She had severe abdominal pain and had gone to their own community hospital multiple times. It didn’t go away, it worsened.

One day my friend called and asked me to help her drive her daughter to that ER. I said, I recommend we take her to North York General instead. She was lucky to come here, she was operated on by Dr. Feinberg, and the issue was resolved. It could have been fatal.

I didn’t think twice to bring her here. I’ve worked at other hospitals and I can see the difference – the care is excellent. Because we concentrate on community care, rather than a specified area of medicine, it’s very responsive. And that can save lives.”

Q: What inspired you to begin your own fundraiser for NYGH?

Hau Vu: “I was very impressed by the Here for Life campaign, and it started me thinking: I’m very happy here, and I should give something back. I had sent out my campaign photo to my friends and family, and they were thrilled to see it.

One of them suggested making a donation to the hospital as a form of congratulations, which gave me the idea to send out an email and see if I could raise more. My goal was $2000. My extended family — grandparents, siblings, nieces, and friends — helped me raise $1500, and I completed my goal with my own donation.”