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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Shoulders to lean on for cancer patients

By: Erin Madden

Posted: 08/9/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Kendra Kuo (left), Tina Driedger and Gail Wilson (right) aid patients at the Breast Health Centre.

They come from different walks of life but they have one thing in common -- cancer has affected them all. And that's why Gail Wilson, Tina Driedger and Kendra Kuo all gladly give time to the Breast Health Centre, a diagnostic centre run by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Once a week, they take shifts at the centre, greeting nervous clients, navigating them through rounds of testing, reassuring them as they wait to hear about test results and preparing information packages for them to take home.

The trio -- strangers before they began volunteering -- represents the past, the present and future in the fight against breast cancer. This September marks the 10th anniversary of when Wilson was declared cancer-free. As a breast cancer survivor, she knows what the clients are going through when they step through the Breast Health Centre doors.

"When I see the women come in and I see the scared look on their face, it just reminds me of how I felt," said Wilson, a 61-year-old grandmother. "When I was going through it, I was very anxious to talk to someone who was a survivor so I get a lot of chances to do that for others now."

Driedger, a semi-retired nurse has spent her career helping people battle the disease. She regularly picks up casual shifts at St. Boniface Hospital but wanted to do something during her down time. She decided to volunteer at the Breast Health Centre, which sees an average of 150 clients each week, as a way to remain connected to patients and use some of the skills she developed during her nursing career, which has spanned more than 40 years.

"(As a nurse) I have seen the emotions of both patients and their families -- when they don't know the results yet, it's hard," said Driedger, 64. "I enjoy meeting the people and hopefully relieving some of their fears when you take them into the room, trying to calm them down a little bit or just be there for them. You don't really need to say anything. I just feel it gives me purpose in life to get up and help somebody."

Kuo said she saw the volunteer opportunity as a way to give back. Her cousin was born with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer, and is now in remission thanks to the great medical care she received. In addition, Kuo said volunteering gives her an opportunity to gain experience and learn a lot that will help her to become a doctor.

The third-year University of Winnipeg biology student will apply to medical school this fall.

"It brings out a lot of empathy in a person," explained Kuo, 22. "It's a good experience to know what these people are going through. You can see on their faces sometimes that they did not have good news... . I feel like I can at least be there for people."

If you would like more information or would like to become a volunteer with the Breast Health Centre, please call 787-7247 or email volunteer@wrha.mb.ca.

If you know a special volunteer who strives to make their community a better place to live, please contact Erin Madden at erinmadden@shaw.ca.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 9, 2010 B2

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