Lorayne was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in October 2011, and five months later received a transplant from a donor in Germany.
She remembers how she felt when she was diagnosed and how hard it was for her to process all the complexities of getting a transplant.
She was grateful that her transplant team didn’t just focus on her medical and physical needs, but also helped her connect with someone who had been through the transplant process. That person was Wendy, a NMDP Peer Connect volunteer, who helped Lorayne address her fears and anxieties about transplant.
Now, Lorayne wants to give back and help others going through the transplant process. She has been a NMDP Peer Connect volunteer for many years now.
“Everyone’s journey is difficult,” she says. “I feel like they want to know that they can do this.”
Forming special bonds
NMDP Peer Connect helps transplant patients and caregivers connect with someone who’s “been there” and “gets it.” “A lot of people just need to talk,” Lorayne says. “I understand what they’re going through. I had all those fears and worries, too.”
Lorayne, now a grandmother of three, was a kindergarten teacher. Because of her profession, she says that she knows how to be an active listener, which she says is critical to transplant patients and caregivers. “As a teacher, I think I have the temperament,” she says. “I’m encouraging and empathetic.”
Some people have frustrations with their family or their medical center, she says. One way Lorayne helps people is by giving them a chance to verbalize those frustrations, which allows them to unburden themselves.
“My experience as a volunteer is that people are so ready to talk─and need to talk,” Lorayne says. “They want information, they want their fears and anxieties addressed, and they want reassurance.”
Part of that reassurance for patients and caregivers is simply talking to someone who has successfully gone through the transplant process, says Lorayne. “I think back to my experience talking with Wendy. She got through it and she was alive. People want to know there is life after transplant.”
What to expect from NMDP Peer Connect
NMDP Peer Connect matches volunteers with patients or caregivers based on the request. Some people want to talk to someone who is close to their age. Other people may want to connect with someone who has the same disease or other life circumstance.
In one instance, Lorayne connected with someone who had the same type of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) that Lorayne did. Talking with another person who also had to deal with GVHD of the liver helped that patient a lot, Lorayne says, but the connection was also a learning experience for Lorayne and their connection gave comfort to both of them.
Lorayne’s approach when assigned a NMDP Peer Connect patient is to email the person first, to arrange a convenient time to talk on the phone. The first call can be as long as needed, Lorayne says, and begins with Lorayne asking about their experiences and their current situation.
“As they’re able to talk, I’m able to share my experience with them,” Lorayne says. “They can expect a listening ear, a comforting volunteer, who will be there for them even beyond a phone call.”
Typically, Lorayne and her connections will talk again or connect by email a few more times. “As volunteers, we’re always there for follow-up,” Lorayne says.