'It's all about hope': Many hands make light work in Daffodil Day preparation

Kathleen Chan has been volunteering for the Cancer Society for around a decade. Photo / George Novak

Volunteers are the lifeline of many charitable organisations and the Cancer Society is no different. Bay of Plenty Times reporter Jean Bell visits a hive of volunteer activity ahead of Daffodil Day.With a smile as vibrant as yellow daffodils, Kathleen Chan does not waste a moment while bunching flowers in preparation for Daffodil Day this Friday. The 76-year-old Ōtūmoetai resident has been volunteering for the Cancer Society for around a decade.

Yesterday, she joined a group of volunteers bunching daffodils, just as she has done for many years.

Her hands moved quickly as she industriously pulled small clusters from buckets holding bounds of blooms, tying a string with a thank-you note around each bunch.

Volunteer Kathleen Chan (left) and Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society fundraising coordinator Karen Gemmell preparing for Daffodil Day. Photo / George Novak

Aside from busying herself with various volunteer roles, including her work for the society, Chan keeps fit by running up Mauao twice a week.

She volunteers in the hopes that she can help make a small change to the lives of others as they battle the "most devastating disease".

"It's all about hope, isn't it? I get a lot of joy out of it," Chan said.

She has witnessed too many people suffer from the "crippling disease" and looks to do what she can to help.

"A family member, a friend, a stranger, my son's schoolmate - gone too soon or fighting for survival."

Volunteers at work making daffodil bunches ahead of the Cancer Society of New Zealand's Daffodil Day this Friday. Photo / George Novak

She has helped care for many people suffering from cancer - from holding their hand to cooking their favourite meal.

"I tend to put my hand up for everything. I often offer to cook meals as the family is often so tired from all the hospital visits and other things."

Last Christmas Day, she sacrificed precious family time to help care for an ill person after receiving a call from a friend.

"I asked my family if I could help. My son said, 'you do what you need to,'" she said.

She hoped that modern medicine would help deliver drugs that would ease the pain of the disease.

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society fundraising coordinator Karen Gemmell said street collectors would be placed throughout the Western Bay of Plenty, including in Katikati, Tauranga, Te Puke, Pāpāmoa and Mount Maunganui.

She said street collections in the Western Bay raised more $50,000 last year and the Society hoped to raise even more this year.

"The sad reality is one in three New Zealanders will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. So it's something that affects every whānau in our community."

The Cancer Society in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty - 2018 at a glance
- The society's nurses reached out to people needing support or assistance on 8795 occasions.
- Volunteer drivers made 3567 trips to assist people to and from treatment, driving 119,245km in total.
- The Cancer Society's Lions Lodge provided housing for 1281 people who needed accommodation while receiving treatment at Waikato Hospital.
- The team facilitated 166 support groups in communities across the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region.
Source: Cancer Society of New Zealand