Portrait: Leslie Dabit, volunteer

Leslie Dabit volunteers at Maison St-Raphaël for one to two shifts a week, mainly on Monday or Tuesday mornings. She divides her time between the care unit and the kitchen, two spaces that, for her, are connected by the same fundamental act: caring for others. At Maison St-Raphaël, her days take different forms depending on the needs. In the care unit, she supports the healthcare staff in carrying out their tasks while also being available to offer attentive listening to patients. In the kitchen, she helps prepare meals. In both settings, she experiences a similar sense of connection, a link to the body and to care, whether she is accompanying someone or preparing food to nourish them. For Leslie, these gestures, simple as they may seem, carry deep meaning.

Her career is marked by a wide range of experiences. She has completed several training programs related to the arts and culture in France, particularly in festival and event planning. She has also completed training to become a bookseller. For about ten years now, Leslie has been working in the film industry. She worked for eight years at an independent film production company before going independent in recent years. While she continues to work in this field, she is currently in a period of reflection, driven by a desire for change.

Questions surrounding end-of-life care and death were taking up more space in her thinking, and it was on a friend’s recommendation that she discovered Maison St-Raphaël. After learning more about our mission, she quickly felt a strong resonance with her own values. She chose to get involved to explore this field in a concrete way. What struck her from the moment she arrived was a feeling of being exactly where she belonged. She speaks of a sense of clarity, almost immediate: that of having found a place where she can be fully herself. She highlights the quality of the human connections that develop there and emphasizes that, at Maison St-Raphaël, people are truly at the heart of everything. It is an environment where she feels she can grow, exist authentically, and contribute in a meaningful way.

Beyond her volunteer work and professional life, she finds joy in simple yet essential activities such as reading and dancing. Among the authors who have influenced her worldview, she mentions Martine Delvaux, a figure who is particularly important to her. Finally, she says that if she could change one thing in society with the snap of her fingers, it would be to make it more just and more peaceful.

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