{"id":278415,"date":"2026-04-20T13:23:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/?p=278415"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:17:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:17:29","slug":"new-volunteer-initiative-for-stem-cell-patient-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/healthy-tomorrows\/new-volunteer-initiative-for-stem-cell-patient-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"New volunteer initiative for stem cell patient caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Barb McDonald (left) and Moninna Running (right) are volunteers who host “Coffee for Caregivers,” a new initiative that provides support for caregivers of patients in The Ottawa Hospital’s Transplant and Cellular Therapy unit.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 2 p.m. on a Thursday, just outside the Transplant and Cellular Therapy unit at the General Campus of The Ottawa Hospital (TOH). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two volunteers roll a portable coffee cart into a colourfully painted room. The space is filled with large comfortable chairs, a television mounted to the wall, and soft<\/a>, warm light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The volunteers \u2014 Moninna Running and Barb McDonald \u2014 straighten the chairs, fire up the coffee maker and quietly get ready to welcome any family members or loved ones of patients who might need a break from a demanding day of support. They are setting up for \u201cCoffee for Caregivers,\u201d a new volunteer-led initiative created to give caregivers in the stem cell transplant unit a chance to breathe, recharge and relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The essential role of caregivers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It can\u2019t be overstated: Caregivers of patients in The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s stem cell transplant unit carry\u2026a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caregivers provide constant support around the clock and know that taking a break can feel like an impossible task. Sometimes traveling far from home with no family or support nearby, caregivers sleep lightly, eat when they remember, and rarely leave their loved one\u2019s side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when staff encourage them to step away for just a few minutes, most don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor good reason, caregivers take their role very seriously,\u201d says Tania Baird, Manager of the Transplant and Cellular Therapy unit at The Ottawa Hospital. \u201cBut this also means they take it quite literally, to the point where they\u2019re not taking a break or not taking great care of themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffee for Caregivers provides just that: a chance to step just outside the unit for a short break, but still close enough to feel comfortable doing so. It comes with no agenda, no pressure and no expectations \u2014 just a hot drink, a snack, and a calm, welcoming space for those who show up to support someone else through an intense, life-altering treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the first volunteer-led initiative exclusively for stem cell patient caregivers. The idea for the program grew from a simple realization that many caregivers lack the type of support programs available to patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, people just need an outlet,\u201d says Lucie Zabchuk, Manager of Volunteer Resources at The Ottawa Hospital. \u201cSomewhere they can sit and talk \u2014 or not talk \u2014 while they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caregivers are an extension of our patients, and there was a desire to do more for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really great at taking care of our patients, but if it\u2019s a long road for them, it\u2019s also a long road for their caregivers,\u201d Tania says. \u201cKnowing the limitations on visitors coming into the unit, we worked with TOH\u2019s Volunteer Resources team to help address that gap in support by inviting caregivers to take a much-deserved break outside of the unit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Through
Moninna Running (left) and Barb McDonald (right) share a friendly moment before welcoming caregivers into the room where Coffee For Caregivers is held every Thursday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Coffee, care and the power of volunteers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

None of this would be possible without the support of our volunteers, who help bring the program to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moninna and Barb don\u2019t wear scrubs. They don\u2019t carry clipboards. They sit down, pour coffee,<\/s> and listen, because they know that even small, engaged moments can have huge impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did we mention they\u2019re really great at this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese patients and caregivers are going through a very difficult time, and it\u2019s quite a load on the caregivers\u2019 shoulders,\u201d says Barb. \u201cThis is an opportunity to have a coffee and a chat, where they can talk about their loved one or talk about whatever they want to take their mind off of things.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Barb, this is deeply personal \u2014 and an immense privilege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a family member recently receive cancer care here at TOH, so this is a unique opportunity to give back,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen they want to talk about what is going on, we mostly just sit and listen to them. To see how brave and resilient they are can be quite touching, and I think they like having the opportunity to tell their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Coffee for Caregivers is brewing up comfort and connection \u2013 one cup at a time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Moninna, who\u2019s been volunteering with TOH for four years, echoes that sentiment and says the experience is both meaningful and educational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe caregivers are always very thankful, but I\u2019m thankful too, because every time we see them, I learn something new about them and myself,\u201d she says. \u201cIt makes me appreciate more of what I have, and I also get to learn more about what is happening in the hospital.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moninna and Barb genuinely care about the caregivers they meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for the caregivers, who are so used to putting themselves second, that can mean everything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Caregivers of stem cell transplant patients rarely get a moment to themselves, but a new volunteer-led initiative at TOH is changing that. Coffee for Caregivers provides an opportunity for comfort and connection for the people who are always showing up for someone else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":278416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[93,184],"class_list":["post-278415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-tomorrows","tag-stem-cells","tag-volunteers"],"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278415"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278467,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278415\/revisions\/278467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}