When 8 year old Zack’s mum Polly was diagnosed with breast cancer, their life was turned upside-down.
Welcare matched Zack with a mentor who was a source of comfort, support and an extra pair of hands for Polly and her young family for 18 months while Polly underwent treatment.
When my mummy got sick she tried to keep life as normal as possible for me and my little brothers who were four and two. But Mum was very tired from her treatment, and couldn’t play with us like she used to. Sometimes she had to spend all day in bed. Someone at the hospital told Mum about Welcare and she asked them for help.
A family support worker from Welcare came to talk to me and Mum about how I felt about her being poorly. Then they found me a mentor called Louise who came to spend time with me and take me out while Mum had her doctor’s appointments. Louise had volunteered with Welcare before. Mum would always need a rest after picking us up from school, but we really looked forward to seeing Louise, and she spent loads of time helping us with school work. I even started getting full marks on my homework!
Welcare organised fun things for us to do, like a group trip to a local farm, where we got to meet some lambs and feed the pigs. It was really fun, I hadn’t had a day out since Mum got sick.
Mum says she’s really grateful for Welcare, and I’m glad we had help while she was really poorly.
Our volunteers often work over long periods of time with families – ensuring they have continued support after the initial intervention with a Family Support Worker.
