A time to give

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Many of us say we’d like to do more to help in the community, but how many actually follow through and give of their time and energy?

SienaDune Buchanan, Bear Cottage volunteer
“When I first started work as a volunteer, I wanted to be ‘a knight in shining armour’ bringing happiness into children’s lives, but I’m wiser now. I don’t seek acknowledgment, nor do I look for direct signs that I’ve made a difference. I have learned to park my ego at the door. Today, I just do it because I love it.” So says Sydney mother-of-three SienaDune, who has committed four hours out of her working week to support the staff at Bear Cottage.

Bear Cottage
Bear Cottage is an initiative of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead that provides respite and palliative care for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. It is the only one of its kind in NSW and has hosted more than 220 families.

“When my nephew was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of sixteen, I was struck by the degree to which families are plunged into a different world with different rules,” says SienaDune. “When children are seriously ill, parents have to take on so much new knowledge and make so many critical decisions. It’s not surprising that they tend to feel overwhelmed.”

SienaDune says most of the time, she’s uplifted by the atmosphere at the bright complex overlooking the Manly coastline. In this welcoming environment, sick children and their families come to rest or take stock.

“I’ve seen people here make incredibly difficult choices. One sixteen-year-old boy had cancer of the spine and was in constant pain. He seemed almost to be making the decision, for everyone’s sake, to give up the fight to live.” SienaDune also witnessed a young mother making the decision to terminate all the interventions that were keeping her baby girl alive. “It was agonising for her.”

But she says the love she has seen at Bear Cottage has enriched her life. “I’ve stopped taking my children for granted. I tend not to take anything for granted anymore.”

To find out more, visit www.chw.edu.au or call (02) 9976 8300.

Words: Josephine Brouard

Published in Notebook Magazine

Issue: December 2005

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Stellaluna

added this comment at 6:46am Sat 19th November, 2005

How true all of this is and how very heartbreaking. I am in a similar situation with my Mother who also has Leakemia. There comes a time when we have to let go, for their sake. My Mother is such a beautiful woman, very brave and full of courage. It's very painful watching her suffering, she is slipping away.

Stellaluna

added this comment at 6:54am Sat 19th November, 2005

On Thursday, I bought a new Teddy Bear and told the sales assistant I was donating it to the Christmas Wish Tree at Target. She was lovely and donated a gift box and wrapping. It's not much, but it will make a small child feel better on Christmas day to receive a gift. If you can't do anything more, what about donating a gift, for those less fortunate at Christmas time.