There’s power in numbers and comfort in details – while many aspects of a cancer journey are shared, each survivor or caregiver’s individual journey is uniquely their own. Many members of our newest class of volunteers share one distinctive experience:
Undergoing cancer treatment during a global pandemic.
While the entire world was upended by the COVID pandemic, with many calling 2020 the worst year of their lives, these brave folks faced the additional stress of cancer treatment.
One needed to have major surgery, walking into the hospital alone, while their devastated spouse put on a brave face and watched from the parking lot. Another felt severe loneliness and isolation, leading to them seeking counseling. The pandemic threw a wrench into another’s already stressful situation when they were furloughed from their job in March of 2020.
We are grateful and excited to welcome this new class of volunteers and are inspired by the overwhelming sense of joy and passion they exude. One is bringing his intense caring spirit and expertise he developed from caring for his wife, sharing the intricacies of explaining cancer to his young children. Another has been a caregiver for multiple family members throughout the years which brings a unique perspective on various diagnosis and treatments.
Whether they cared for their spouse, brother or fought cancer themselves in unimaginable times, they are trained and ready to help bring hope to the world.
- Bill– Brain Cancer
- Karen– Uterine Cancer
- Mark – Stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma
- Faye – Stage 1 Triple Negative Breast Cancer
- Hassan– Caregiver
- Greg– Testicular Cancer
- Cheryl– Lung Cancer
- Kishore – Caregiver
The group joins our team of nearly 500 Support Volunteers already committed to providing peer mentoring for cancer patients and the people who love them. To connect with these, or one of our other volunteers, please call our Programs Team at 877-HOPENET (877.467.3638) or visit cancerhopenetwork.org.
