Become a volunteer

When you are first diagnosed with cancer, your world falls apart, then some kind soul says ‘why don’t you come to the Sara Lee Natural Rhythms mornings?’ and a light begins to glimmer, you say ‘where?’ they say ‘Powdermill Wood’, light goes out, you can’t drive! That’s okay they say, we provide transport. Ha, having worked in a hospital environment for some years I know that transport equals lots of waiting around, no not ours I was told, we’ll let Ken know, and so I agree being told I’ll be picked up on Tuesday morning. Monday evening comes and the phone rings ‘Hello, I’m Ken, is it alright if I pick you up at 9:45am in the morning? Yes says I not expecting him to be on time, but then at ‘said’ hour a pale blue Rover pulls up and a gentleman gets out introducing himself as Ken, at that moment a friendship started between volunteer and patient. That was 2 years ago and since that time, Ken has picked me and others up regularly on Tuesday at the time he says. We are greeted with a cheery ‘morning how are you?’, we catch up on what we have done during the week and what he’s been up to, as well as an update on his loyal companion the cat! After our meeting, he will be patiently waiting for us even if our meeting over runs, which it tends to do, and if in the summer, the strawberry farm is open; we do a left turn on our way home and stop to treat ourselves! Ken also picks us up once a month to take us to Sanctuary Days; nothing is too much trouble for him. His latest adventure in life, is to join an Amateur Dramatic Society and now entertains us from the stage, roll on the Panto Season! You ask what a volunteer is, it truly is Ken, if anybody was born to do this kind of work he was. Thank you so much Ken, for all the time you give to driving us about so that we can both enjoy and benefit from what The Sara Lee Trust has to offer both in treatment and love to help us cope with the disruption cancer causes in ones life. Without volunteers, these services would be beyond the reach of us non car drivers. Thank you.’