H&H Story from R.K.L.

I became apart of the Heart & Hands community during my second semester of acupuncture school. Like many before me, I had felt the ‘go west’ call and had set out for B.C on a cross-country adventure.

The thing with a solo move across the country, along with the excitement, is that it can be pretty lonely. Even though I was in school, I found making new friends not as easy, and life felt pretty un-full for the first six months. School, studying, grocery store, home. Cook some food. Walk the hood. Repeat.

I knew about community acupuncture before I arrived in Victoria, and when I heard about a front desk volunteering opportunity at a downtown studio, I was totally keen. I had been to community clinics before, in Vancouver and Toronto, and I was immediately taken with the warm and friendly sweetness of Heart & Hands. Snuck into a downtown side street, just off the Quadra beaten path, I happily made my way to my weekly shifts, building a relationship with a place and its people that would last for two years.

And I loved being at the front desk. Chatting with people about a medicine I valued so much, seeing familiar patients week after week, and starting off their time with the best smiley-warmth I could offer was, really, such a treat. As my interest in community acupuncture deepened, it was clear that my time at Heart & Hands was having a big impact on my studies. I did more community clinics at school to mimic the community acupuncture setting as best I could, and I went to workshops with Heart & Hands practitioners to expand my knowledge. Heart & Hands was like the food nurturing my community acupuncture enthusiasm to blossom.

In just less than two weeks, I will be starting my own acupuncturist journey at a community clinic in Toronto. It’s amazing, as I’ve been training, how often I talk about Heart & Hands – the beautiful core at my community acupuncture heart.

I’ve seen, first hand, how much Heart & Hands means to the people of its community – a community that is ever expanding. Watching patients come through the clinic door, more restful and at peace than when they came in, was, really, the best part of the job.

With such dedicated practitioners at its helm, I have no doubt that Heart & Hands will continue to serve Victoria with as much love and care as I have known it to.

For Victorians, both familiar and unfamiliar, this place is here for you when you need it. It was built for you. Know that your path to health and wellness is yours to choose and that Heart & Hands Health Collective is there for you at any step you want it to be.

Celebrate this wonderful clinic space and help support its continuation!
R.K.L. :)