What’s the definition of a noble, charitable citizen? Someone who is willing to put their health at risk in order to help others certainly fits. That’s what Sofia Hellqvist has done in Sweden.
The certified yoga instructor and mother of two has been the honorary chair of Sophiahemmet Hospital in Stockholm since 2016 but is now working as a volunteer. Her responsibilities include cleaning and assisting in patient care.
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“I am now placed in one of the hospital’s care departments, where together with other newly trained colleagues, I support and relieve the healthcare staff with different tasks,” she wrote on Instagram. “To have the opportunity to help at this difficult time is extremely rewarding.”
Sweden has more than 13,000 confirmed cases of COVID19. Sofia is married to Carl Philip, the only son of Carl XVI Gustaf (a ‘King’) and Silvia Renate Sommerlath (a ‘Queen’).
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Hellqvist underwent training earlier this month and is now volunteering at Stockholm’s Sophiahemmet hospital, which currently has no reported cases of COVID-19.
She took to Instagram to post an image of her uniform and ID tag, along with a photo of her dressed in her scrubs. She is one of 80 new volunteers helping out at the hospital.
It’s heartening to see a person of extreme wealth and privilege provide a service that remains so undervalued and grossly imbalanced between the sexes. Perhaps Sofia’s husband, Carl, might display the same due-diligence and devotion to his people in the near future? I’m sure he can fit it in if she can.