{"id":74646,"date":"2022-12-07T12:05:06","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T17:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/?p=74646"},"modified":"2023-01-23T10:50:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T15:50:15","slug":"my-craft-is-to-make-people-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/healthy-tomorrows\/my-craft-is-to-make-people-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMy craft is to make people happy\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bill Nauffts checks his watch every 30 seconds.  It\u2019s not to be impolite; it\u2019s to make sure his passengers get where they need to go on time. As a shuttle bus driver for The Ottawa Hospital, Bill spends his days driving staff, physicians, volunteers and patients between our three campuses. He begins his route at 5:15 a.m. and completes five 16-kilometre round trips before he calls it a day at 2 p.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill takes great pride in what he does on the road, but it\u2019s what he does on his breaks that fuels his days\u2014and for years, has brought delight and comfort to his passengers and the people around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Video<\/a>
Many people at The Ottawa Hospital know Bill Nauffts as one of our shuttle bus drivers. But Bill is also a talented artisan, with deeply personal motivations, who loves to share his craft with others. Learn more about Bill in this short documentary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A hobby that fills the cupholders of his bus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During the small pockets of time between trips, Bill pulls out his pocketknife and a small piece of wood. Carving is a hobby he picked up in the 1980s, and his handywork now fills the cupholders of his bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill is a bit sheepish when his passengers give him compliments about his carvings, but he says it\u2019s a great way to strike up conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCarving gives me a little peace,\u201d he says.  \u201cIt sort of closes my mind to the job itself and opens my mind to my love of my craft.  And in my opinion, my craft is to make people happy.  So, when I’m doing a carve, even if it\u2019s for only two minutes, it’s two minutes that I create and make someone happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bill\u2019s
Bill keeps his figurines in the cupholders of his shuttle bus.  He says they are a great way for him to strike up conversations with his passengers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carving isn\u2019t just a conversation starter with his passengers; it is also a gift that he likes to share with others\u2014particularly families who have been impacted by illness\u2014because he, too, knows what it\u2019s like to be in their shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very personal loss inspires every cut<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although he himself has never had cancer, Bill has a special place in his heart for patients and families affected by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several years ago, Bill\u2019s best friend of 38 years, Kevin, was diagnosed with cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe fought to the end,\u201d Bill remembers.  He was by his best friend\u2019s side nearly every day in those final months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bill
Bill (left) lost his best friend Kevin to cancer in 2018. This is their last photo together.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, Kevin\u2019s memory is an important part of Bill\u2019s life, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s especially meaningful when Bill can give one of his carvings to a person or family affected by the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne particular couple had lost their son, and I asked them what their son liked to do,\u201d Bill recalls.  \u201cThey said he played hockey, but they didn\u2019t know why I was asking.  When I presented the angel to them, I had a hockey stick carved into it, so that was very special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another family placed Bill\u2019s angel in a sealed container and put it on their father\u2019s grave site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor someone to do that, it means the world to me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bill\u2019s
When a young boy\u2019s parents told Bill that their late son loved to play hockey, Bill planned a special angel just for them.  This is his sketch that he used to create their one-of-a-kind wooden figurine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The hospital is more than a workplace for Bill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To Bill, the Ottawa Hospital isn\u2019t just where he works. It is a trusted place where he and his loved ones receive lifechanging care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill\u2019s grandchildren were delivered here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His sister, Margaret Rose Racette, was diagnosed with colon cancer and received treatment here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, Bill had a car accident, and was rushed to the Emergency Department.  In a twist of fate, the resident taking care of him there had been a passenger on his shuttle earlier that day.  The accident damaged the nerves in his mouth, which affects his speech, but he has otherwise recovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not lost on Bill that the people who ride his bus every day are the same people who have cared for him, his own family, and countless others in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n