"For me, it's a way to complete the cycle"

Thursday, February 7, 2002

Vol 8, Issue 3

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Volunteers who also work at Hutch, Alliance find that donating their time makes big difference in how they view their jobs

By BRAD BROBERG

Photos by Clay Eals

Rachel Carter, Clinical Research Division statistician, helps Hutch School student Peter Hartley, 14, of St. Petersburg, Fla., with multiplying compound fractions. Volunteering adds a "human element" to her job, she said.

Volunteering can have a profound effect.

"It's made a big difference in how I think about my job," said Rachel Carter, a Clinical Research Division statistician.

"It's something that helps you feel better as a person," said Todd Coburn, a Hutch electrician and former transplant patient.

"It's just been very good for my soul," said Victoria Miles, a special event manager with Development.

Carter, Coburn and Miles are among 15 staff who help Seattle Cancer Care Alliance patients and their families by taking on these roles: patient/family volunteer, volunteer van driver, Hutch School tutor and concierge.

Overview of opportunities

Hutch and Alliance faculty and staff who wonder what it's like to be a volunteer can find out on Feb. 13. (See info at left.) The meeting will include an overview of volunteer opportunities with patients and families at the three Alliance clinical sites. It's a prelude to a spring orientation for new volunteers that begins Thursday, March 7.

"Volunteers provide vital practical and social support for patients and their caregivers," said Anne Vedella, manager of Volunteer Services. "Their compassion and kindness make a profound difference to families from all over the world."

Other than working in the Alliance clinic's Patient and Family Resource Center, which requires a commitment during business hours, volunteers can arrange their volunteering around their work schedules, Vedella said.

Patient/family volunteers typically spend four or five hours a week with families while van drivers make two or three trips to the airport every month.

"I analyze patient data all day long," Carter said. "Working with people has added a really necessary human element to my work.

"People shouldn't be intimidated by what may be required. The people who coordinate the program can help you sort out what level of involvement you can provide. They can even find a second volunteer to share the assignment."

From shopping to the zoo

As a patient/family volunteer, Carter's role is to help patients and families adjust to life in Seattle during the several months they stay here for treatment. That can mean everything from going grocery shopping to visiting the zoo.

"I know the city and love the city and helping a family from who-knows-where get acclimated to a new city was something that sounded like a lot of fun," she said.

And it has been fun, Carter said.

"What caught me off guard, though, is how responsible I feel for them," she said. "I feel responsible for their welfare in a way I didn't expect to feel."

Carter also has gained a greater appreciation for her own good health. She recalls a patient she worked with who was preparing to return home. In this particular case, the treatment outcome had not been favorable. One sunny day shortly before the patient was scheduled to leave, Carter took her to a park with a beautiful view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

As they admired the dazzling scenery, the grateful patient turned to Carter and said, "I'm glad I can think about this moment when the pain comes."

Afterward, "it really hit me hard how lucky I am," Carter said.

Coburn became a patient/family volunteer and van driver six months before he became a Hutch staffer.

"Picking people up at the airport, you become their first contact in Seattle, which is a lot more personal than having them take a cab," Coburn said. "Plus, it saves them $30 or $40."

Coburn said the biggest challenge is making patients and their families feel comfortable receiving help instead of feeling as if they're imposing.

"It's a little bit harder than I thought it would be, but usually it's just a matter of talking to them and reassuring them that helping them is what you're there for," he said.

Although 10 years have passed since his own transplant, Coburn said he can still relate to what patients and their families are experiencing.

"It's rewarding to be able to help people at a time in their lives when things are pretty frantic," he said.

Personal, professional rewards

Miles, a patient/family volunteer, cites both personal and professional rewards.

"For me, it's a way to complete the cycle," she said. "Here I was raising money for the Hutch and for programs that benefit patients, but I didn't have any personal contact with patients.

"Part of it is a little selfish because it helps me in my job to know what our patients are going through. But part of it is for me personally. I wanted to do something to give back."

Miles said she has been surprised by how open patients and their families have been with her - and by how strong the attachment can become.

"It's emotional, and I didn't think it would be," she said. "My original thought was that they're not my family, they're not my friends, they're just people who need my help. I won't be sad when they leave. But you do come to care for them like they are your family. You definitely develop friendships with them and share so much that it's very sad when they leave."

Even so, any sadness felt at departure is outweighed by the satisfaction of making a difference, Miles said.

"Even helping them with the smallest things, or just listening to what they have to say, means the world to them," she said. 'It's neat to be able to support families at a time when they need so much help."

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