Cancer Survivor Returns as Hospital Volunteer for 15 Years

Kathy McGuire walked into a clinic in 2007 expecting a routine visit and left with a cancer diagnosis that had already spread. Five surgeries and years of chemotherapy at London Health Sciences Centre followed, but her story didn't end there.

Nearly two decades later, McGuire returns to the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre regularly. This time, she's wearing a volunteer badge instead of a patient wristband.

"Maybe the journey I was given was for a reason, because I ended up here helping people," she said. For almost 15 years, she's been guiding new patients through their first visits, answering questions, and helping them find their way around the facility.

McGuire is one of about 500 volunteers at the hospital, many of them former patients who choose to give back. She said volunteers during her own treatment inspired her return by treating her as a person first, not just a cancer patient.

Her son Sean McGuire admits he was surprised when his mother decided to volunteer at the place where she'd endured so much. "It was like, you've earned sitting at home," he said.

But once he saw her in action, it made perfect sense. "We knew she'd be doing something that she enjoyed and that she'd be able to help people out," Sean said, who now works at the same hospital.

The Ripple Effect

The impact of volunteers like McGuire extends beyond the patients they directly help. Sean remembers how volunteers supported his whole family during his mother's treatment, knowing the little things that could make difficult days more manageable.

"It was that personal connection from someone else who had gone through it that made it easier for us to deal with it," he said. Those small gestures turned an overwhelming experience into something they could face together.

Meaghan Innes, manager of volunteer services at the center, said volunteers reduce stress and confusion for patients while supporting staff. The program continuously evolves based on feedback from patients, families, and community needs.

Volunteers receive training on supporting patients while maintaining appropriate boundaries and respecting privacy. They fill crucial gaps in the patient experience with compassionate help that complements clinical care.

For McGuire, the work comes down to simple reassurance. "Let them know somebody else has been in their shoes, and they're still walking around to talk about it," she said.

What began as one of her life's hardest chapters has transformed into daily moments of connection and hope, proving that sometimes our greatest challenges prepare us to help others through theirs.