Miriam’s turn to give back

4 May 2021

A cancer battle was the catalyst for Miriam Gauci to begin her volunteer journey. During chemotherapy, Miriam was visited by a friendly pastoral care worker whose companionship she enjoyed.

“I thought, ‘I could do that’,” Miriam said. “I wanted to give back to the community and help people less fortunate than myself.”

May 17-23 is National Volunteer Week, an annual celebration to acknowledge the generous contribution of our nation’s volunteers

Miriam began volunteering at VMCH’s St Bernadette’s Aged Care Residence in 2018 in a pastoral care role, chatting with residents each week. However, a return of her cancer in 2019 meant she could no longer visit the home.

Undeterred, Miriam signed up to volunteer with VMCH’s TeleFriend program, where volunteers make weekly calls to people supported by various VMCH services.

Each week, Miriam calls Ellen, who cares for her husband.

“I just listen to how she’s feeling and be supportive of her,” Miriam, 64, says. “Ellen said the other day, ‘I’ve never met you, but my husband and I love you like a daughter’, so that was nice.”

Despite her health issues and her role as a carer for her 96-year-old mother, Miriam’s motivation for volunteering never wavers.

“I could decide to sit here and mope and feel sorry for myself but I get more strength to get through my issues when I’m helping other people.”

We think you are an incredible lady Miriam. Thank you for your ongoing service to VMCH and the people we support.

Would you like to learn more about volunteering with us?

We are always looking for new volunteers for a variety of roles.

T: 1800 036 377
E: volunteers@vmch.com.au

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Acknowledgement of Country

We here at VMCH respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we gather, and we would like to take a moment to honour the fact that we live on the lands of the oldest civilisation in the world. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.