President honours hundreds of cancer society volunteers

HUNDREDS of volunteers with the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) have been honoured by President Mary McAleese for giving hope and encouragement to those diagnosed with cancer.

Around 200 of the society’s 500 volunteers, some of whom are cancer survivors, attended City Hall in Dublin yesterday to receive certificates of acknowledgement.

President McAleese said: “The success of ICS support services is quite simply down to your fidelity, dedication and turning up, not because you have to but because you want to.”

ICS patient support group manager Olwyn Ryan said the society depended on its volunteers to take cancer patients to hospital, support those newly diagnosed and help them deal with the appearance-related effects of their treatment.

“The exceptional spirit of volunteering is vital to the ICS in helping us provide the services that make such a difference to those fighting cancer and their families,” she said.

The society’s Care to Drive programme, where trained volunteers take cancer patients to hospital for appointments and treatment, first piloted at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin three years ago, is being rolled out to other hospitals in Dublin, Sligo, Donegal, Cork and the midlands over the next six months.

The ICS plans to advertise its Survivors Supporting Survivors programme this year to reach out to more people newly diagnosed with cancer.

The society has established Look Good Feel Better workshops delivered by volunteers from the beauty industry in 11 hospitals and is planning to extend the programme to another three this year.

Breast Cancer survivor, Marie O’Laoi (53), a mother of four from Howth, Co Dublin, was one of the volunteers at yesterday’s event. She is chair of the society’s Reach to Recovery breast cancer support group that helps women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ms O’Laoi said it is really important that women know about Reach to Recovery and that women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are matched with volunteers of a similar age who share a similar experience.

“I found it very heartening to talk to somebody that went through the same experience as me and see that they are getting on with their life again. It gave me great hope,” she said.

* Cancer helpline — 1800 200 700 or www.cancer.ie