A Nassau Hospital Volunteer Nears 29K Hours Doing What She Loves

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — Susan Keller has made a career of giving back to people. For 25 years, the Rockville Centre resident is a doing what she loved best — volunteering at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside.

Keller, whose patients range from stroke victims to babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, is approaching a staggering 29,000 hours, all in the name of compassion.

"It's making a difference in someone's life," Keller told Patch. "I know how lonely it can be."

Keller, who worked as many as three days a week prior to the pandemic through the hospital's Compassionate Listener program, fills a need as nurses are overwhelmed with their duties.

"I will visit somebody, if they're in the hospital for three weeks, as long as they're willing, I will show up every time there," Keller said. "It helps to see a familiar face. You're not a number; you're a person."

Keller has called Rockville Centre home for four decades. During her quarter-century of volunteering, she has been no stranger to accolades, even if she's somewhat reticent to the attention.

"By nature, I'm kind of a shy person, even with people I know," she admitted. "But when it comes to walking into a total stranger's room, whether it's to show a video or to sit and chat, I have no problem with that."

It's easy to understand why Keller finds volunteering such a vital part of her daily life. She considers her interactions with patients as nothing short of exhilarating.

"[It's] such a powerful thing," she said. "Volunteering is my oxygen."

She got into the altruistic efforts once her girls began school, leaving her with extra free time, but she also thanks the convenience factor. She wanted to be near the school, which happens to be across the street from her home.

She recalls her first day at South Nassau:

"I had no clue what I was doing. I bumbled my way through it," Keller said. "But when I left, my feet were not touching the ground."

Visiting patients made such an immediate impact on her.

"Sometimes when I leave the room, I'm not sure who has benefited more," Keller said. "When someone shares something personal with you, how do you not feel honored?"