A woman from Lossiemouth has shared how volunteering helped boost her confidence after being diagnosed with a brain condition.
Derra Kew expected the radiotherapy treatment she was offered to deal with her brain arteriovenous malformation diagnosis would help her to continue with her daily life.
Instead, it left her paralysed down her right-hand side.
While the 36-year-old was unable to carry out her job as a care worker, she started volunteering with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.
She has now been volunteering with the charity for nine years.
“I always thought the people you worked with got the most out of volunteering, but that really isn’t the case,” she said. “Volunteering came into my life when I had lost so much confidence because I wasn’t working.
“Volunteering not only gave me masses of confidence, but it gave me experience and helped me get a job because I had people who could give me a reference and something to write down on a CV.”
Calls for more volunteers
“But the most important thing it gave me was people,” she continued. “I’ve met so many amazing people along the way. Volunteering is good for the soul, it gives you a good feeling. You’re brightening someone’s day as much as they are brightening yours.
“It’s funny how life works out. If my circumstances had been different, I don’t know if I’d have become a volunteer. Now I can’t imagine life without this.”
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is calling for more people across Aberdeenshire and Moray to volunteer their time with its Hospital to Home Services.
The community support services volunteers for the charity support those in the community living with chest, heart and stroke conditions.
They help them to develop confidence and manage their condition in one-to-one or group settings either virtually or in-person.
Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to call 0131 225 6963 or email volunteering@chss.org.uk
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