Teen volunteer inspired by mum's cancer treatment

A teenager who spends her weekends volunteering for the NHS is urging other young people to give up their time to help others.

Alisha-Mai Stevens, 17, from Brookside, Telford, said she was inspired to "give back" after growing up watching her mum go through cancer treatment.

It comes as a YouGov survey, on behalf of charity Helpforce, found that a quarter of people in the West Midlands would consider volunteering for the NHS.

Volunteering "helps you in future employment and makes you a more confident , grateful person", Alisha-Mai said.

The Telford teenager is studying for her A-levels at Madeley Academy, but spends her weekends volunteering at the Princess Royal Hospital.

"A normal shift would be getting patients to and from their different wards, making sure that they're feeling comfortable, contacting their families, and making them drinks, food, anything that they need," she said.

Volunteering has even encouraged Alisha-Mai to pursue a career in healthcare.

"I do actually plan on going to university, hopefully next year," she said, adding that she would like to study psychology, with a focus on conditions like dementia.

Her mum, Sharon Durrance, has had breast cancer three times, as well as having a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - also known as a "mini-stroke."

"My previous experiences with my mum's health did inspire me to volunteer," Alisha-Mai said.

"Every day, I help her and make sure she's got everything she needs, like medication - I [used to] go to chemotherapy with her too," she added.

Ms Durrance said she is "immensely proud" of her daughter.

"It's kind of double-edged, isn't it? Because you don't want her to have those experiences as a child," she said.

"But if it encourages her to do something helpful and worthwhile and give back in the future, then it's kind of worth it."

Ms Durrance said Alisha-Mai has seen first-hand the difference volunteers make in hospitals.

"Having a volunteer there to have a chat, make a cup of coffee, just have a little laugh and a joke - the difference that can make to somebody's day, you can't put a price on that at all," she said.

Julia Clarke, the Director of Public Participation for Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust said there are "so many different roles" for potential volunteers.

"Patients that have dementia, sometimes they may not have any visitors, so one of our dementia [volunteers] will go and spend time with them just talking to them," she said.

"We have mealtime buddies, we have end-of-life care volunteers, there is something for everyone."

"If people are interested, ring the hospital, ask for the volunteer team, come in and have a chat with us,"Ms Clarke added.

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