John R. Marsh Cancer Center volunteer brings smile amid sadness

Volunteering in a cancer center is not an easy job.

“You have to have a lot of compassion,” said Reba Cole, who has volunteered at Meritus Medical Center for nine years, most of them at the John R. Marsh Cancer Center. “You have to be able to deal with patients and know that you’re probably going to lose some of them.”

Cole said she’s seen volunteers last only a few days at the cancer center because the emotions of the job took too much of a toll.

But for the right person, volunteering at the cancer center can be rewarding, she said.

“There’s a patient here who always calls me her angel,” Cole said. “I believe a smile goes a long way.”

Cole had worked for Bechtel construction services for 38 years before retiring. But shortly after her retirement, she began to feel depressed.

Her grandson was a volunteer in the Meritus Medical Center gift shop and suggested she try doing the same thing.

Cole started at the health system’s Repeat Performance Thrift store, but it wasn’t a good fit. The director of volunteer services at the time thought she’d do well at the cancer center.

Her duties include providing warm blankets and snacks to patients and visitors and helping nurses with anything they might need. She also cleans the room once a patient leaves to make it ready for the next patient.

She also speaks to patients.

“Many are scared and don’t want to talk,” Cole said in a gentle voice. “But I try to bring them out of their sadness and get them to talk.”

Part of her success might be her own experience. She said she had a rough upbringing as a foster child. She lost her stepdaughter to cancer. She lost her husband to Covid.

“You have to be able to separate yourself from the situation,” she said. “You have to be there for them.”

For those thinking about volunteering for Meritus, Cole said it’s something you can do, especially when you’re older or retired, like her.

“It’s a way of giving back,” she said.

To learn more about volunteering at Meritus Health, visit www.meritushealth.com/volunteers, or call 301-790-8143.