Hollyblue House is a welcoming place. Like a newly refurbished home with benefits, it offers those in the area who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families many useful services.
They can organise free lifts from volunteer drivers to University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) for chemo or radiation therapy, for example, or avail of counselling or lymph drainage therapy if they need it.
They can also enjoy complimentary treatment options like acupuncture or reflexology to help ease the stress of this life challenge too or, in non-COVID-19 restriction times, they can simply pop in to chat over a cup of tea and enjoy the many activities available there like art, tai chi, card games or sewing/knitting groups.
The hollyblue is one of the first blue butterflies of spring so that’s why we chose the name
“It’s so handy for people to get supports locally without the stress of having to travel into Galway city,” says Mary Nolan, who manages the centre in a voluntary capacity.
“There’s space to talk but there’s very little talk about cancer really. Hollyblue House helps people get away from it for a while or if they want help, it’s there for them,” she says.
The new name for the centre picks up on its original blue butterfly logo and sums up hope.
“The hollyblue is one of the first blue butterflies of spring so that’s why we chose the name,” Mary says. “We also wanted to get away from the word ‘cancer’ a bit.”
From two rooms to detached house
Volunteerism has kept the centre going, from the small beginnings of two rooms in the old technical school in 2007 to the spacious detached building it is now. A semi-detached house was purchased in 2012 following a generous donation, but the committee had to borrow money to purchase the adjoining house in November 2019 in order to double the size of the facility.
“We needed the extra space because of increased demand, but because we come under the health category we can only get funding from the Department of Health. We can’t apply to the likes of LEADER or the Dormant Accounts scheme unfortunately. In the end we borrowed from Clann Credo, which provides community loan finance. Without the purchase of the adjoining property we wouldn’t have been able to reopen following the March lockdown as it would have been unable to meet social distancing requirements,” Mary explains.
More state support needed
The bigger facility (including downstairs rather than upstairs treatment rooms and extra parking spaces) involves a mortgage too, of course, which means that funds are badly needed.
“We’ve been totally reliant on volunteers to keep the place going and we’ve done that for 13 years now, which has been an enormous achievement,” she continues, “but we need State support and a paid manager down the line.”
Every single volunteer is giving so much
They have been blessed to have so many good volunteers, she says, those who meet and greet and those who facilitate activities.
“Every single volunteer is giving so much. The only help we have is two community employment employees who are here part time. As volunteers we also have to run this place totally professionally, as we are a limited company and registered charity. Volunteers had to do all the preparation for reopening after lockdown according to HSE guidelines, for example, which took a lot of time and effort.”
With 2020 fundraising plans knocked sideways due to COVID-19, the financial situation is serious.
Benefactor hope
“The hope is that there is a kind benefactor out there who will help – someone who knows what we do and how we help people,” Mary says.
“Donations big and small would be most appreciated. We’ve always fundraised a lot and local groups have been very good and they fundraise for us too but all our plans have been affected by COVID-19. The amount of money we need is peanuts in the overall scheme of things. We want to keep our services free to clients as people with cancer have so many expenses to meet. Nationally, money seems to be there for everything else except this. I’m sure we’re not the only cancer support centre in this situation.”
Mary got involved when her husband, John, was ill with cancer.
“Going to the centre was a distraction that got me out of my own head,” the former bank official says.
“It didn’t depress me. There’s a lot of satisfaction in doing this work. A person could come in, feeling really down and they go out smiling and you feel you’ve lightened their load in some little way.”
Maura Dolan is a psychotherapist who has worked at the centre since 2017. The counselling service she provides is client-led, she says.
I usually encourage them to get through their treatment before thinking about counselling
“Sometimes people come when they have just been diagnosed when they are dealing with a lot of shock.”
Maura explains to them how all the strong emotions they are feeling are normal and a reaction to what has happened.
“I usually encourage them to get through their treatment before thinking about counselling because they may not be in the head space for it. They then come back once their treatment is over and can avail of six sessions if they want to.”
Hollyblue House services are also available to the families of those with cancer, of course.
“Perhaps a spouse is having long-term treatment and the carer can be trying to cope and dealing with grief around all the life changes they are experiencing. In a COVID-19 environment there is an extra layer of anxiety too.”
For those experiencing cancer, it can be a time of many mixed emotions, she states.
“Sometimes it’s just about trying to figure out the muddle that their emotions are in or that their brain is in. Even if everything has gone well they have so many thoughts about the diagnosis and the future and it’s about dealing with that anxiety.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis can be like a bombshell going off in your family.”
They can get angry, cry, get out their frustrated feelings, their terrified ones, all that emotion
Maura says they are given a safe space to talk.
“They can get angry, cry, get out their frustrated feelings, their terrified ones, all that emotion. They may not feel comfortable talking to a friend or family member about it all because it’s too much for them to take on so it’s about having an objective person to talk to that you can trust.”
Coping skills
Coping skills are also taught as anxiety has to be managed going forward.
“Once the treatment is over and they have the all clear, clients think they should be feeling better but often they aren’t. This can be quite confusing for them. I explain that they’ve been in ‘flight mode’ going through treatment where they’ve been fighting the emotion away, but it is hitting them now that the war is over or semi-over.”
In relation to anxiety or panic, Maura uses a lot of mindfulness-based interventions. “Sometimes little interventions can be so powerful, even using the breath to centre ourselves and realising that these strong emotions are OK. The more people work and recognise the strong emotions, the more they dissipate.”
I was surprised how homely and welcoming the centre is
Cara Brady volunteers at Hollyblue House two mornings a week and as a member of the committee looks after the centre’s social media pages also.
After moving back to her husband’s area from Glasgow, she saw the ad for volunteers and saw the work as an opportunity to get back into workplace mode and upskill.
“I was surprised how homely and welcoming the centre is,” she says. “There’s a warm feeling about it, it’s like a house and I felt completely at ease here. I help out in the office, doing whatever needs to be done, answering phone calls and organising drivers.”
Cara regards the volunteer driver service as the most important service. “It’s huge. It really takes the pressure off people going through treatment. Sometimes people could be going to UCHG for weeks so it’s quite a big ask of family and neighbours to do all the driving and sometimes people would live on their own and wouldn’t have that backup.”
Hollyblue House is a very worthwhile cause, making a big difference in the area, she believes.
“If anyone has a few hours to spare we are always looking for volunteers,” she adds.
Patrick McGann, service user at Gort Cancer Support Centre, Co Galway.
Patrick (Packie) McCann (67) is a farmer who was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago and availed of the driving service provided by volunteers there.
“I live on my own and having someone to collect you and drop you home was great because you’d be very tired after the radiotherapy so I’d like to thank all the drivers who helped me.”
Patrick’s cancer was identified during regular health checks – something he would advise every man over 40 to do.
“The important thing is to catch it early. My treatment involved going to the hospital for 39 days, five days a week.”
Patrick McGann, service user at Gort Cancer Support Centre, Co Galway, with Cara Brady.
While Patrick didn’t avail of other services in the Gort centre, he was delighted to get the help he did.
“Everyone was more than helpful. The big thing was to let Mary know the time of your appointment so she could arrange it with the drivers.”
COVID-19 impact
on treatment
Unsure whether COVID-19 has affected cancer treatment? Mary Nolan’s story of the drop in demand for volunteer drivers to take people to UCHG for treatment this year sums it up.
“We have 24 drivers who usually do 15-25 drives a month. Unfortunately over the past six months very few drivers have been needed. We had only one in September, which I’m afraid is a sad reflection of what’s going on in the world at the moment.”
Read more
Farmers highly vulnerable to COVID-19
Is the 15-minute COVID-19 test the way of the future?
Hollyblue House is a welcoming place. Like a newly refurbished home with benefits, it offers those in the area who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families many useful services.
They can organise free lifts from volunteer drivers to University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) for chemo or radiation therapy, for example, or avail of counselling or lymph drainage therapy if they need it.
They can also enjoy complimentary treatment options like acupuncture or reflexology to help ease the stress of this life challenge too or, in non-COVID-19 restriction times, they can simply pop in to chat over a cup of tea and enjoy the many activities available there like art, tai chi, card games or sewing/knitting groups.
The hollyblue is one of the first blue butterflies of spring so that’s why we chose the name
“It’s so handy for people to get supports locally without the stress of having to travel into Galway city,” says Mary Nolan, who manages the centre in a voluntary capacity.
“There’s space to talk but there’s very little talk about cancer really. Hollyblue House helps people get away from it for a while or if they want help, it’s there for them,” she says.
The new name for the centre picks up on its original blue butterfly logo and sums up hope.
“The hollyblue is one of the first blue butterflies of spring so that’s why we chose the name,” Mary says. “We also wanted to get away from the word ‘cancer’ a bit.”
From two rooms to detached house
Volunteerism has kept the centre going, from the small beginnings of two rooms in the old technical school in 2007 to the spacious detached building it is now. A semi-detached house was purchased in 2012 following a generous donation, but the committee had to borrow money to purchase the adjoining house in November 2019 in order to double the size of the facility.
“We needed the extra space because of increased demand, but because we come under the health category we can only get funding from the Department of Health. We can’t apply to the likes of LEADER or the Dormant Accounts scheme unfortunately. In the end we borrowed from Clann Credo, which provides community loan finance. Without the purchase of the adjoining property we wouldn’t have been able to reopen following the March lockdown as it would have been unable to meet social distancing requirements,” Mary explains.
More state support needed
The bigger facility (including downstairs rather than upstairs treatment rooms and extra parking spaces) involves a mortgage too, of course, which means that funds are badly needed.
“We’ve been totally reliant on volunteers to keep the place going and we’ve done that for 13 years now, which has been an enormous achievement,” she continues, “but we need State support and a paid manager down the line.”
Every single volunteer is giving so much
They have been blessed to have so many good volunteers, she says, those who meet and greet and those who facilitate activities.
“Every single volunteer is giving so much. The only help we have is two community employment employees who are here part time. As volunteers we also have to run this place totally professionally, as we are a limited company and registered charity. Volunteers had to do all the preparation for reopening after lockdown according to HSE guidelines, for example, which took a lot of time and effort.”
With 2020 fundraising plans knocked sideways due to COVID-19, the financial situation is serious.
Benefactor hope
“The hope is that there is a kind benefactor out there who will help – someone who knows what we do and how we help people,” Mary says.
“Donations big and small would be most appreciated. We’ve always fundraised a lot and local groups have been very good and they fundraise for us too but all our plans have been affected by COVID-19. The amount of money we need is peanuts in the overall scheme of things. We want to keep our services free to clients as people with cancer have so many expenses to meet. Nationally, money seems to be there for everything else except this. I’m sure we’re not the only cancer support centre in this situation.”
Mary got involved when her husband, John, was ill with cancer.
“Going to the centre was a distraction that got me out of my own head,” the former bank official says.
“It didn’t depress me. There’s a lot of satisfaction in doing this work. A person could come in, feeling really down and they go out smiling and you feel you’ve lightened their load in some little way.”
Maura Dolan is a psychotherapist who has worked at the centre since 2017. The counselling service she provides is client-led, she says.
I usually encourage them to get through their treatment before thinking about counselling
“Sometimes people come when they have just been diagnosed when they are dealing with a lot of shock.”
Maura explains to them how all the strong emotions they are feeling are normal and a reaction to what has happened.
“I usually encourage them to get through their treatment before thinking about counselling because they may not be in the head space for it. They then come back once their treatment is over and can avail of six sessions if they want to.”
Hollyblue House services are also available to the families of those with cancer, of course.
“Perhaps a spouse is having long-term treatment and the carer can be trying to cope and dealing with grief around all the life changes they are experiencing. In a COVID-19 environment there is an extra layer of anxiety too.”
For those experiencing cancer, it can be a time of many mixed emotions, she states.
“Sometimes it’s just about trying to figure out the muddle that their emotions are in or that their brain is in. Even if everything has gone well they have so many thoughts about the diagnosis and the future and it’s about dealing with that anxiety.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis can be like a bombshell going off in your family.”
They can get angry, cry, get out their frustrated feelings, their terrified ones, all that emotion
Maura says they are given a safe space to talk.
“They can get angry, cry, get out their frustrated feelings, their terrified ones, all that emotion. They may not feel comfortable talking to a friend or family member about it all because it’s too much for them to take on so it’s about having an objective person to talk to that you can trust.”
Coping skills
Coping skills are also taught as anxiety has to be managed going forward.
“Once the treatment is over and they have the all clear, clients think they should be feeling better but often they aren’t. This can be quite confusing for them. I explain that they’ve been in ‘flight mode’ going through treatment where they’ve been fighting the emotion away, but it is hitting them now that the war is over or semi-over.”
In relation to anxiety or panic, Maura uses a lot of mindfulness-based interventions. “Sometimes little interventions can be so powerful, even using the breath to centre ourselves and realising that these strong emotions are OK. The more people work and recognise the strong emotions, the more they dissipate.”
I was surprised how homely and welcoming the centre is
Cara Brady volunteers at Hollyblue House two mornings a week and as a member of the committee looks after the centre’s social media pages also.
After moving back to her husband’s area from Glasgow, she saw the ad for volunteers and saw the work as an opportunity to get back into workplace mode and upskill.
“I was surprised how homely and welcoming the centre is,” she says. “There’s a warm feeling about it, it’s like a house and I felt completely at ease here. I help out in the office, doing whatever needs to be done, answering phone calls and organising drivers.”
Cara regards the volunteer driver service as the most important service. “It’s huge. It really takes the pressure off people going through treatment. Sometimes people could be going to UCHG for weeks so it’s quite a big ask of family and neighbours to do all the driving and sometimes people would live on their own and wouldn’t have that backup.”
Hollyblue House is a very worthwhile cause, making a big difference in the area, she believes.
“If anyone has a few hours to spare we are always looking for volunteers,” she adds.
Patrick McGann, service user at Gort Cancer Support Centre, Co Galway.
Patrick (Packie) McCann (67) is a farmer who was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago and availed of the driving service provided by volunteers there.
“I live on my own and having someone to collect you and drop you home was great because you’d be very tired after the radiotherapy so I’d like to thank all the drivers who helped me.”
Patrick’s cancer was identified during regular health checks – something he would advise every man over 40 to do.
“The important thing is to catch it early. My treatment involved going to the hospital for 39 days, five days a week.”
Patrick McGann, service user at Gort Cancer Support Centre, Co Galway, with Cara Brady.
While Patrick didn’t avail of other services in the Gort centre, he was delighted to get the help he did.
“Everyone was more than helpful. The big thing was to let Mary know the time of your appointment so she could arrange it with the drivers.”
COVID-19 impact
on treatment
Unsure whether COVID-19 has affected cancer treatment? Mary Nolan’s story of the drop in demand for volunteer drivers to take people to UCHG for treatment this year sums it up.
“We have 24 drivers who usually do 15-25 drives a month. Unfortunately over the past six months very few drivers have been needed. We had only one in September, which I’m afraid is a sad reflection of what’s going on in the world at the moment.”
Read more
Farmers highly vulnerable to COVID-19
Is the 15-minute COVID-19 test the way of the future?
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