Royal Free Charity | "A sense of purpose"

"A sense of purpose"

Jennifer’s experience of volunteering at Edgware Community Hospital

Woman smiling while holding two certificates.
After Jennifer was a patient at Edgware Community Hospital, she decided to give back”. 

I love the unit, staff and patients, and I’m so grateful for how far I have come.”

– Jennifer Lawrence Wynne 

Jennifer worked as a civil servant for 35 years. In 2016, she left her office and felt a punch’ in the base of her neck which she later found out was a subarachnoid haemorrhage.

She was on the train home towards Edgware when her legs buckled. Jennifer was assisted by a passenger who called staff for help. 

She blacked out and didn’t remember anything other than what her daughters told her at the hospital bedside. 

After a six-hour operation on her brain, she had no long term memory and was cognitive impaired and weak on the right side of her body. 

Jennifer stayed in hospital for four weeks and was later referred to an occupational therapist at Edgware Community Hospital as an outpatient. 

Following extensive therapy, she was advised to take on a volunteer role to help with her recovery.

Woman smiling while holding two certificates.

Jennifer’s experience volunteering

Jennifer joined the volunteer team in November 2018 as part of her recovery and stayed on as a way of giving back to the unit that, according to Jennifer, helped get her strength and confidence back. 

She initially found it challenging remembering names and where to go but this has helped with her recovery process.

Volunteering has given me a grounding and a sense of purpose,” she explained.

Jennifer helps on the wards in the morning, supporting the physiotherapists and patients with their physical recovery. 

She can relate to patients, especially with their physical challenges, and loves to encourage patients with guidance and suggestions based on her own personal experience.

Jennifer also helps the housekeeper and nurses serve lunches in the afternoons. She volunteers twice a week, every Wednesday and Thursday.