Isabel’s Angels

Sunday, 11 April 2010 18:21 Written by Dawn Leahey

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We are blessed that our region is home to many angels - fabulous women who choose to use their spare time to make a valuable difference to the community. Mwaah magazine is proud to regularly provide a window into the lives of some of those unsung volunteers who are driven by the satisfaction of helping others and would love to encourage others to follow suit.

Isabel Last, a Welwyn Garden City nurse, was diagnosed with cancer in 1974 and given 4 months to live. A second opinion, followed by treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital resulted in Isabel beating those odds and regaining her mobility!

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She began working with other cancer patients in her local area, founding the Isabel Hospice in 1982 with friend Pam Stafford. Isabel Hospice now provides free care to over 2,700 patients of life threatening illnesses each year in Hertfordshire. It also runs satellite units for outpatients in Waltham Cross, Thorley and Hoddesdon, and home-care programmes are available for terminal patients, including a Family Support team, offering counselling, benefits advice and a chaplaincy service.

A robust network of 900 volunteers help raise the £4.2 million needed annually for Isabel’s to survive. Mwaah spoke to a volunteer in the Bishop’s Stortford area to discover just how crucial the work can be.

Goodwill Governor

Judith Keogh, 49, has taught at St James Primary School for 11 years. Her husband was a patient at Isabel Hospice when diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

About a year after he died I decided to volunteer. I wanted to be of use, Judith explains. She gets involved however she can, whether distributing cakes or flyers. What I do is not terribly exciting, but it helps.

I think people find it helpful to talk confidentially about their fears without burdening their nearest and dearest, says retired nurse Jane Bailey, another Isabel volunteer. Experienced nurses are on hand to offer help and advice, and all kinds of volunteers are there to talk to. It’s hugely rewarding.

Judith agrees. When I was there, I’d chat to ladies who brought me a cup of tea. The ones I listened to the most were women whose own husbands had died from cancer.

These volunteers include fundraisers and gardeners, to administrators and receptionists (saving approximately £50,000 per year), complimentary therapists, drivers and carers. The hospice also has 15 shops, each staffed by 40 volunteers per week!

Judith plans to volunteer within the hospice itself. They do a wonderful job, and eventually I’d like to do some family support work. I’m not ready to make that step yet, though I always pop in to see the nurses. It would be very hard to go in and help another patient while I still see my husband in that bed.

Meanwhile, Judith spends free time volunteering with Herts and Essex School, which her 2 daughters both attend. She is passionate about education and as a Governor is part of the Curriculum Committee as well as being the Vice-Chair of the Student Welfare Committee.

I’ve got lots of energy and experience and wanted to get as involved as possible, to really get a feel for the girls and help the school in any way I can. We try to have a Governor presence at every school event.

I don’t see myself as having any special qualities, being a woman, but do the job as best I can. Although, Judith grins, I do bring cakes in, which keeps me popular!

To find out more about the Hospice itself or to enquire about becoming one of Isabel’s Angels, call Jane on 01707 382500 or visit www.isabelhospice.co.uk