Life Stories with Carmel Murphy
I have written My Life Story as an example for you. Of course it’s up to you what you want to say during our time together. As a journalist I am a good listener although I might prompt you for a tad more information.
Bobs Story
21 Feb
Bob* and his wife Cheryl* were referred to Compassionate Hearts on the Bellarine by his GP when he discovered that the cancer, he had been living with for many years was no longer treatable, and that he needed to prepare for his end of life. Bob was a pragmatic, no nonsense man who had been a union representative in a male dominated industry. He had always looked after his mates by checking up on them when they were ill or facing life's challenges. Bob was respected and well liked but when he was diagnosed with cancer many of his work mates were uncomfortable visiting Bob as they didn't know what to say or do, so they had stopped seeing him. This left Bob feeling isolated and lonely as his illness restricted his ability to get about in his community. Bob and Cheryl had recently retired to the Bellarine Peninsula and had not had the opportunity to build up a strong circle of local friends, and their adult children living interstate, added to their sense of isolation. A CHoB volunteer started to visit Bob to offer him companionship and to give his wife a bit of break to run errands. After the first visit with Bob, Cheryl commented that it was the first time in months that she had heard him laugh. Bob had been reminiscing about ‘the good old days’ at work and some of the pranks he and his workmates had gotten up to at work. Some were hair-raising! After getting to know Bob through sharing his memories, the volunteer was inspired to write a song about Bob’s full and interesting life. He recorded it and sent it to Bob and Cheryl who were very moved by the song. Bob said it was the first time anyone had ever written a song for him. He was particularly excited to share the song with his family.The volunteer continued to visit Bob over the last few months of life and offered much needed companionship to him and support to Cheryl as she cared for much loved husband.
Christines Story
29 May
My experience of Compassionate Hearts on the Bellarine has been an extremely positive one. I really enjoyed the training and meeting other volunteers for the organization.
Working with my client has been thoroughly rewarding as I get to know her. I certainly feel that I am taking a lot away from each interaction and hope that she is enjoying the company as much as I am!
Congratulations to the team!
Cheers Christine
Robins Story
29 May
I originally planned to join Compassionate Hearts on the Bellarine in 2020 but COVID disrupted our training (like it did everything else!). The training we undertook in 2021 was very interesting- there was a reasonable size group of like-minded people with similar interests all drawn to the concept. Every aspect was presented professionally, with compassion, warmth and sharing of experience. It was reassuring to have such a strong, experienced and caring group as support. On completion of the training, which encompasses not just caring for others, but also about caring for yourself, we were matched with a current client to visit. My client is a similar age to me and I enjoy the visits as much as she does! We talk, walk our dogs, share experiences and I run small messages when needed. I am definite that it quality adds to my life as well as, I hope, to my client’s. I would encourage everyone who is interested to come along and meet us at the next Information session, because it is worthwhile and enjoyable.
Robin Tchernomoroff
Geraldines Story
29 May
I was a registered nurse for 45 years and when I retired in 2019 I felt I still had so much more to give. So when I heard of CHOB I knew that as a voluntary carer I could continue my passion for caring people, who through no fault of their own are suffering from a life limiting illness.
These people, our CHOB clients, and their carers may need help in many ways. As a volunteer I can help by taking a client to appointments, help by just sitting and listening and maybe relieving the full time carer to have some time out.
I view the role I undertake as a volunteer carer, a privilege and hope that I play an important part in my client's journey.
Geraldine's Hughes-Jones
Geoffs Story
29 May
I have been humbled by the experience of my volunteer visits to the homes of people in palliative care. Although each situation is different, the conversations seem to flow easily and I found people happy to chat about a variety of topics and to tell me a bit about their life stories. The spouses and families were also open in their communication and sometimes phoned me later to just ‘unpack’ their feelings. Before I started visiting people I wondered if conversations would lag or if they would seem uncomfortable but the opposite has been my experience with warmth and laughter often being the lubricant of the interactions.
Geoff Naylor