Been There, Done That...

Imagine that you have recently been diagnosed with cancer and you have noticed that your usually close friends are starting to become infrequent acquaintances.  What if your friends and family seem to expect you to remain upbeat and optimistic, but you are not feeling that way?  Or what if you feel like you've leaned on them so much already... you just can't burden them anymore with your sometimes obsessive need to talk about your diagnosis.

For a cancer patient just starting down the road through treatments to recovery, it's helpful to talk to a compassionate and professional social worker who has the ability to calm your fears and explain what's to come.  Our social workers and patient assistance programs are an important part of what we do at Hope Cancer Resources and, for many patients, they are enough.  But sometimes a patient benefits even more from sharing their experience with someone who has already been through it themselves.  That's when our "Been There" volunteer program can become an additional resource.

"Been There" is a local network of cancer survivors who volunteer to offer their time and an understanding ear for newly diagnosed cancer patients.  Because each volunteer is a survivor, they probably experienced similar feelings and had some of the same questions and concerns during their own cancer journey.  The program provides an outlet for the patient to express all of their emotions - even negative ones -  without fear of upsetting loved-ones and caregivers.  The volunteers are available to help with non-medical questions using layman's terms, and conversations are kept strictly confidential.

The program is managed by one of our licensed social workers, Christy Scarrow, who manages our volunteer programs.  Christy matches patients who request the service with a volunteer who has a close match to their diagnosis or personal situation (single parent, elderly, etc...).  

If you know someone who might benefit from this service, or are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact Christy at 479-361-5847 for more information.