Volunteers Bring Smiles, Comfort to Cancer Center Patients

In the charming coastal city of Beaufort, South Carolina, the Beaufort Memorial Chemotherapy and Infusion Services Center is a hive of activity every day. Amidst the hum of life-saving machines, dedicated nurses and doctors drape patients with healing warmth using both advanced medicine and uplifting conversation. Adding more heart to this crucial mission, volunteers provide invaluable support with their time, companionship, and care for patients navigating the arduous journey of cancer treatment.

Bringing Comfort and Companionship

Geri Connors is one such dedicated volunteer. A Massachusetts native and former executive recruiter, she has been contributing twice a week at the infusion center for the past 13 years. Geri, along with her team of volunteers, works diligently to enhance patient comfort by offering warm blankets, pillows, hot and cold drinks, and snacks in the outpatient facility.

“Our efforts are to make the patients as comfortable as possible,” Geri explains, conveying a deep understanding of the emotional rigors accompanying the physical challenges for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

An Essential Part of the Care Team

These volunteers are a much-needed addition to the hard-working medical staff at the center. They shoulder tasks ranging from engaging in uplifting conversations, distributing snacks, organizing donations, to ensuring the treatment stations are sanitized and ready for use. This leaves the medical team free to focus on their crucial task of patient care.

“Having volunteers who can contribute a sense of normalcy in an otherwise isolating and scary time is a gift to our patients,” comments Kianna Brown, a licensed medical social worker at the hospital’s cancer center. “They offer something that staff have in limited supply: time. They use that time to connect, engage and simply be a warm presence.”

Expanding the Volunteer Team

In response to interest expressed by volunteers to work at the infusion center, Anna Makar, the Patient Advocate and Volunteer Services Coordinator at Beaufort Memorial, joined hands with the center’s director, Mark Hennigan, and Brown to create an official volunteer program. Currently, the team of six volunteers, including Geri, ensures that patients receive additional support every weekday. Three more volunteers are currently being oriented to add even more strength to the team.

For volunteers like Geri, the dedication of the medical staff at the center is inspiring. “These nurses are so dedicated to assuring the safety and well-being of their patients, it just makes sense to have someone volunteering to do the ancillary tasks to assist,” she says.

Joining the Mission of Care

For those looking to make a significant difference in their community, volunteering at the Beaufort Memorial Cancer Center offers an opportunity to bring comfort and cheer to patients in their time of need. Details about how to help, including the volunteer application, are available at BeaufortMemorial.org/volunteer.

In the timeless words of volunteer Geri, “Sometimes a smile and comforting hand is all it takes to make someone feel more relaxed.” A shared sentiment, echoed by the larger team at the center, serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of compassion and kindness on individuals who are going through the fight of their lives.

Source: HERE News Network