Volunteers’ Week: Jackie’s Story

It’s Volunteers’ Week and we’re sharing Jackie’s story; a reflection on how volunteering bought purpose back to her life.

After retiring from a 21-year career in the NHS as a Physiotherapy Technical Instructor in mental health, Jackie found herself as busy as ever; walking, attending exercise classes, and caring for her elderly parents. But when both her parents became seriously unwell at the same time, her life changed dramatically.

“My mother had a fall and fractured her femur, and, on the same day, my 90-year-old father was diagnosed with sarcoma on his shoulder. The next few months were extremely stressful and exhausting,” she shared.

Due to their increasing needs, Jackie arranged for both parents to be looked after in a care home. However, when her father chose to bring them both home against her advice, his health rapidly declined. “He died in hospital three weeks later. I managed to get Mum back into the care home, and she did really well for two years, avoiding Covid and drinking Baileys!”

When her mother passed away, the strain caught up with Jackie. “I sat by her hospital bed for four nights with no sleep, perched on a plastic chair. I’d always joked about my ‘old NHS back’, but that was the final straw.”

On the day of her mother’s funeral, Jackie collapsed in excruciating pain. She was later diagnosed with herniated discs and nerve compression, which left her needing months of treatment, and walking poles to get around. Jackie found herself unable to do the things she had been used to doing. “I went from being active, to struggling to sit, stand, bend, or walk. It felt like I’d lost everything; not just my mum, but my mobility, my independence, and my purpose.”

That’s when a Facebook post changed things. “A friend of mine, Maria, who works at Priscilla Bacon Lodge, shared a post about the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity needing help packing items sold in their eBay store. I thought, maybe I can do that?” The E-Commerce Team felt the packing role might be too physically demanding for Jackie, but as she mentioned she liked photography, they offered her the chance to photograph items instead.

“It was great that a role was suited to me before I started. The first day I came home, my husband, Stephen, said I looked like a changed person, and my old self again. I wouldn’t have said I was depressed; I’d worked in mental health and seen that in others, but I was extremely low and had lost my sense of purpose.”

Three years on, Jackie volunteers with our E-commerce Team every Friday, and helps out at our Open Garden events during the Summer. Stephen has also got involved and joins her at the Open Gardens, telling people that volunteering was the best thing to happen to her.

Jackie said, “I call volunteering my ‘job’, and I absolutely love it. I’ve learned so much about antiques, silver marks, designer labels, and spotting hidden treasures. I’ve made so many lovely, caring friends; and the team enjoy my cakes and scones too!”

“As volunteers, we choose to be here because we enjoy it; we don’t have to do it, and that’s what makes it special. I always say I’m ‘going to work’ on a Friday, because that’s how I see it. We chat, we laugh, and we support each other through life’s ups and downs. I even make sure there’s a spare scone for one of our volunteers who’s lost his wife. I think any company would be proud to have a team as enthusiastic as ours.”