As we continue to share stories about the wonderful Macmillan Beyond Diagnosis volunteers, today’s story is from Charmian who has volunteered with us for 3 years.
Volunteering – Charmian’s Story
I was asked to support ‘M’ who needed immediate attention to help her through the process of going into hospital for an operation. Rose, the Link Worker for NUH (Nottingham University Hospital’s) Prehab Service had explained that this client was extremely nervous. Her severe anxiety about her diagnosis was affecting her ability to make a decision about a proposed operation to remove a cancerous tumour.
My brief from Rose was to try to encourage ‘M’ to become more confident so that she was ready to make a decision about her operation. In conjunction with another volunteer who supported ‘M’ to hospital appointments we were able to give her the reassurance to move forward and eventually she had her operation which was a complete success. Rose, myself and the other volunteer kept in close contact throughout the process and shared our weekly reports on progress made. We were able to alert each other on ‘M’s’ issues and each of us played a vital part in her journey. Working as a team we pooled our skills, and the result was extremely positive. ‘M’ fed back about her experience,
“Outcome is just incredible, the journey with the people and the support has been incredible”.
It is great to work with others who are like minded and only want the best for our clients. I feel proud to have been part of that team and I know that the client values our great service.
Charmian – Macmillan Beyond Diagnosis volunteer since March 2020
