Their families would be home from work and able to ask questions. Having lost my husband I had quite a rapport with people, it helped me to be more sympathetic.
Marion
My boys were 18, 16, and 9 years old when their father died of cancer. I managed to keep our farm with some outside help. It wasn’t easy by any means, but you have to keep going when you’ve got children. I went back to nursing because I needed a bit of money - they had death duties back then – plus I’ve always loved my nursing.
I was a district nurse, one of the girls who did the 4-11pm shift. That’s when I began to have so much contact with cancer patients. Because I wasn’t rushing in and out, doing dressings, I could spend a bit of time with them. I was able to listen to what their fears were. Their families would be home from work and able to ask questions. Having lost my husband I had quite a rapport with people, it helped me to be more sympathetic.
I enjoyed every moment of my time, I’d do it all again if I could. It hasn’t been a hardship, I enjoy helping people. Now I’m a volunteer driver in Whangārei. People are grateful to be taken to treatment, it’s an easy thing I can do to help.
30 Stories for 30 Years
In 2020 the Cancer Society celebrated the 30th anniversary of Daffodil Day.
It also marked a 30 year relationship with ANZ as the Principal Sponsor of Daffodil Day. We want to thank the team at ANZ for their amazing support.
To acknowledge this we found 30+ people to tell their story. These stories talk about the generosity of everyday New Zealanders making a difference for people with cancer. They talk about the effect of cancer on people and on whānau, they talk about hope, and they talk about the work we do here at the Cancer Society.
