Amelie - Humanising cancer care

Václav Špáňa and Jitka Polanská presented the work of Amelie to members of the club at our recent meeting.
In 2005 Pavla Tichá was diagnosed with cancer and rather than giving up she realised that whilst he medical treatment was very good, the support patients require to cope with the holistic aspects of cancer were lacking. She founded Amelie, a charity which sets out to humanise the system of cancer care by providing assistance to patients and their families.
Václav and Jitka explained that the organisation relies principally on volunteers to meet and help cancer sufferers. This can be the simplest gesture such as  being the smiling person in the oncology clinic waiting room offering patients the chance to talk with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Hundreds of volunteers throughout the Czech republic give up their time to help patients. Jidka commented: 'it is a very rewarding experience not only for the patient but also for the volunteer'. Every volunteer is professionally trained to give assistance  and advice of a non-clinical nature. Whilst Amelie receives generous grants from public funds, the organisation is looking to broaden the funding base through voluntary donations from the public as well as other funding bodies.