Support Friends
A Support Friend is a volunteer who has experienced what it is like to live with a brain tumour, or care for someone living with a brain tumour.
They provide one to one support. They will be able to share their knowledge and insight, and also listen to you, to help you to get through this difficult time. This service is offered to people diagnosed with a brain tumour or to their family or whānau.
How does it work ?
The key to how this works is quite simple.
Whilst we acknowledge that all experiences are unique, knowing that others have had similar experiences to you may make all the difference to how you feel about the challenges you face. Brain tumour patients are the only ones who really know what a brain tumour diagnosis feels like.
What do they do?
A Support Friend may enable you to talk to others more freely about your situation so that you feel less alone, less afraid and a little bit more empowered.
Hearing about someone else’s experiences may also help you to feel like you are not facing this situation alone and that may inspire you or give you a little more confidence to overcome this difficult time in your life.
A Support Friend is there to act as a ‘listening ear’ and to share their experiences. It is important to note that they will not be able to offer you any medical advice and we suggest that any medical concerns are discussed with your doctors. A Support Friend can of course always direct you to where you’ll find our support and resources on our website.
Our Support Friend Coordinator can put you in touch with someone you can talk to. This can be a great help. Please don’t hesitate to contact us, even if you’d just like to talk about the idea.
where does this support take place?
The support is provided either in person, by phone, email or online messaging platforms such as Facetime, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Zoom.
Once you have been given a Support Friend, we suggest that you talk on the phone or use online chat platforms for the first few times. You can then decide if you would be comfortable to meet in person, whatever suits you best - a local cafe is always good if you both live in the same area.
If you would like to be put in touch with one of our Support Friends or you would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact us by filling in this form or emailing hi@braintumoursupport.org.nz or phone 027-2923337.
Become a support friend
If you would like to become a volunteer Support Friend and want to know more, please download our Support Friend and Volunteer Handbooks.
You can read about others’ experiences of being a Support Friend in our Volunteer Spotlight series here. When you’re ready to apply, simply fill out our volunteer registration form and we will be in touch as soon as we can.
