Member Stories
Mary and Maria
"I love volunteering at Gilda's Club because of the people there. I love to see their spirits lifted and the bonds that are formed with others in the same situation," said Mary Begun (right). A survivor of ovarian cancer herself, Mary came to Gilda's Club Westchester once she was in remission. She attended exercise classes and volunteered to answer phones. "The gamut of activities is fabulous. There's something for everyone - knitting, bridge, health."
When the staff asked her to help with the library, Mary jumped at the chance. Now retired from teaching second grade, Mary was happy to organize and catalogue the books. Best of all, she recruited her friend of more than 40 years, fellow retired elementary school teacher Maria Garcia (left), to assist.
Maria, whose life was also touched by cancer only a few years ago, also found solace in volunteering. "Gilda's Club is a life preserver," said Maria. "It helps you through the trauma of cancer."
Maria's life changed in August 2007 when her husband of 34 years was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. He began very aggressive chemotherapy, with treatments lasting up to seven hours at a time.
During one of these treatments, Maria decided to take a walk and ended up outside of the red doors of Gilda's Club Westchester. "I knew it was a great place for Mary, but I never thought I would be there," she said. "It was hard to go in because I was admitting that things were very bad. But when I did, the people were wonderful and the activities were phenomenal."
Both Maria and Mary wanted to give back to Gilda's Club Westchester. Not only are they the "book engineers" of the library, they have also volunteered at special events. "Whenever they need us, we will be there," said Mary.
"I'm so grateful for Gilda's Club," said Maria. "It did so much for me emotionally to be with people who really understand and care. It's very isolating; you don't know how much help is out there. This community has so much to offer. It helped me get through a very hard time."
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