Student Shannon Moore, 21, from Aylesbury, has volunteered for the Brain Tumour Research charity with her nan, Lorraine White, since July 2013. Having been diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma at the age of nine, Shannon has enjoyed volunteering as a means to meet new friends and to be a part of making a difference. She now studies at the University of Portsmouth and hopes to pursue a career in sound engineering.
Shannon tells us about her volunteering…
As I am currently on a break from university, I volunteer at the Brain Tumour Research charity with my nan, Lorraine, on a regular basis. I was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma in 2005, aged nine, after losing my sight and suffering from severe headaches. A few years after my diagnosis, my nan received a leaflet about a pamper evening for Ali’s Dream, a founding Member Charity of the Brain Tumour Research charity.
Shannon tells us about her volunteering…
As I am currently on a break from university, I volunteer at the Brain Tumour Research charity with my nan, Lorraine, on a regular basis. I was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma in 2005, aged nine, after losing my sight and suffering from severe headaches. A few years after my diagnosis, my nan received a leaflet about a pamper evening for Ali’s Dream, a founding Member Charity of the Brain Tumour Research charity.
A bit later on, in 2012, my nan was contacted by Brain Tumour Research with a leaflet about Christmas cards and other merchandise. She came into the office to collect the cards herself and it was there she asked about volunteering opportunities. She has been a volunteer ever since.
I got involved in volunteering in the summer of 2013, when I was off on my school holidays. As I usually spent time with my nan for two days in the week, I thought I too would lend a helping hand.
The rewarding aspect of volunteering is how much I have seen the charity grow. Witnessing the increase in donations over the years has been a real privilege. I enjoy being treated as part of the team and being welcomed as a staff member. It’s nice to feel like I am making a difference and am doing something good. Even when I was studying in Portsmouth, I’d help our community fundraiser Tim Green collect donations. I would also visit the charity’s Centre of Excellence at my university, which particularly interested me as I have always been academic and was friends with a PhD student who worked in the lab.
My friends at university are always keen to know how I am getting on. I’m really looking forward to returning to Portsmouth in September and will continue volunteering in the office when I am on my holidays. In the future, I would like to be a live sound engineer and I’m sure my volunteering has given me lots of different skills I can take into this career.