May 8, 2006

Personal touch: Volunteers make a difference at Bennett Cancer Center

By Nadia Lerner

Staff Writer, The Advocate

When Linda Raffaele brought her husband, Salvatore, for his weekly treatment at Stamford Hospital's Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center, she noticed volunteers Bev McArthur and Carol Rabinowitz knitting away during a lull. McArthur was crafting a pink scarf.

Raffaele recalls telling McArthur: "My granddaughter would absolutely love something like that." After chatting a bit longer, they parted ways. The next time McArthur saw Raffaele, the volunteer presented her with a pink scarf crafted for Raffaele's 7-year-old granddaughter Holly.

"I was just speechless," Raffaele says. "A million dollars wouldn't have meant as much as that. It really wouldn't."

Rabinowitz of Stamford and McArthur of Westport are well-known at the cancer center, serving as volunteers since its spring 1992 opening. Each Monday, the pair bring their special brand of warmth to the facility, filling in where needed. They welcome patients and their families, hand out flowers (donated by Springdale Florist in Stamford), answer phones, place calls and distribute homemade cookies to those fortunate enough to be in their proximity.

"I do (the baking) one week, Carol does it the next," says McArthur. "It seems to be pretty meaningful for the patients. It gives us a nice, warm feeling."

The women quickly connected after meeting in March 1992 at the hospital's volunteer training workshop.

"Luckily enough for me, we both picked the same morning," says Rabinowitz, labeling her chum "very bubbly and positive. To me Bev is a great gal, and I always say to her, ‘When I grow up, I want to be just like you.' "

The feeling is mutual. Says McArthur: "It's been a wonderful friendship for both of us."

McArthur's affiliation with Stamford Hospital started when her late husband, Jim, received treatment there as a cancer patient during the late '80s. "They did a wonderful job with Jimmy," she says, explaining that for this reason, she decided to volunteer at Stamford Hospital rather than Norwalk Hospital, which is closer to where she lives. After offering her services on the hospital's oncology floor, she switched to the Bennett Cancer Center once it opened. McArthur also volunteers in the hospital's emergency room on Thursdays.

Patients at the hospital love the volunteers, says Liz Manfredo, cancer program administrator at the Bennett Cancer Center and Stamford Hospital.

"The volunteers are here," she says, "because they want to be and they have the time to help. Patients really form strong bonds with them because they see them every week when they come."

Manfredo says patients are often local residents who recognize others at the cancer center - which may or may not be a positive.

"Sometimes patients want to be anonymous, and our volunteers are good about knowing that," she says. "They wait for a patient to say ‘hello' to them."

While patients frequently sing the praises of Rabinowitz and McArthur, the women channel these tributes right back to the source.

"I've never seen such marvelous attitudes these people have," says McArthur. "They are not dour; they are going in for several hours of chemo, but they are not bitter. It's remarkable."

People like Linda Raffaele make volunteers want to do things for them, says Rabinowitz. Hospital staffers, she adds, are equally endearing.

"It has always been a positive place," she says. "The gals (staffers) come out with smiles on their faces and say, ‘OK, I'm ready for you now, let's go.' It's a continuum of the conversation from the week before."

When Raffaele presented her granddaughter with the scarf knitted by McArthur, the child told her it's something she's always wanted. Holly plans to wear it all summer, along with her bathing suit, her grandmother explains.

"To think that (McArthur and Rabinowitz) touch so many people they don't even know is amazing," says Raffaele. "It's heartwrenching to see that people really do care."

Stamford Hospital Volunteer Department, 276-7521.

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