‘I just want to wrap them in a warm blanket of love’
Jo Joanne Ford’s d passion i ffor h helping li childrenhild in need began in 2009, when she to volunteered to help at a camp for children with muscular dystrophy. The mother-offive and grandmother-of-four now works at Bear Cottage, Manly, in palliative care fo for children – a challenging role of enormous significance to the lives of all involved.
“It definitely takes a toll, but we have so many wonderful people involved and a great support network. It feels like home, it’s such a special place for me and a place that I’ll find hard to leave,” Joanne tells Woman’s Day.
The loving carer, 59, attends the funeral of each Bear Cottage child who sadly passes away, and is a great support to the families of the terminally ill children. “The most satisfying part of my job is being able to see what the families need,” she says.
“Being able to step back and allow them to have their privacy, if they need it, or being able to walk in and put my arm around somebody losing their child and just being able to wrap that warm blanket around people when they need it.”
Joanne, from Orange, says winning the Barnardos award is truly a group effort: “I wanted to accept it not just for me but for Bear Cottage, and for all the mums there whose children can’t put nominations forward for them – they so deserve to be recognised.”