Above: Kathy McGuire, LHSC Volunteer, welcomes an individual to the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre.
April 24, 2026
For volunteers Kathy McGuire and Carroll Spence, personal circumstances and the connection of family are key pieces of their stories with London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Like all volunteers, they came to LHSC to make a difference in the lives of patients and find a place where they belong; the journey, however, is entirely their own.
From cancer survivor to new patient orientation volunteer
In the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre, is a volunteer whose inspiration to give back stems from a deeply personal experience. Kathy McGuire started her journey with LHSC as a cancer patient and her time at Verspeeten was touched by the support of volunteers.
“As a patient, volunteers were an important part of my experience,” says Kathy. “When I was able to give back, I felt strongly about doing it in a way that had been meaningful to me.”
Kathy’s role at Verspeeten is as a new patient orientation volunteer where she guides patients who have just checked in, helping them to understand the clinic and show them where important services are located. During these tours, Kathy does her best to answer the questions that patients have and being a survivor herself helps guide her through their conversations.
“I know how scary receiving a cancer diagnosis is,” says Kathy. “You don’t know what is next and I do my best to lighten the load they feel in those early moments.”
With the nature of the clinic, patients tend to be there on a regular basis, meaning Kathy has the chance to build personal connections with them. Over time, they get to know one another, sharing stories about their families and forming bonds that go beyond cancer.
“People often come up to me at the end of their treatment to share that they won’t be seeing me anymore,” says Kathy. “I feel so touched that they want to share this news with me and say goodbye. It is such a pleasure to know I have impacted them that much.”
From the beginning, Kathy has felt a sense of belonging among the Verspeeten staff and her fellow volunteers. The environment is open, welcoming, and joyful, which has fostered true, enduring friendships and speaks to the volunteer community that exists at LHSC.
“The vest gives you an instant connection to other volunteers,” shares Kathy. “Being a volunteer means you’re automatically a part of something bigger and I’ve always felt that I belong.”
While the role has allowed Kathy to expand her community, there is one LHSC staff member that Kathy shares a particularly special connection with; her son, Sean McGuire, who works in Victoria Hospital’s Radiology department. Though they don’t often cross paths while at the hospital, Kathy finds it comforting to have someone in her personal life who she can share her experiences with.
“Sean understands what it is like to support patients on some of their hardest days,” she says. “On those tough days, we can be there for each other.”
For Sean, having a family member as a volunteer has given him a greater appreciation of the role of volunteers at LHSC.
“Having my mom as a volunteer has offered me a greater insight into how much they can and do impact a patient’s experience,” says Sean. “I am very impressed with the volunteer support that LHSC offers and what they in turn offer to someone going through hard times. Volunteers are essential to the organization and to patients. I hope that our LHSC volunteers know that.”
Volunteering across generations
Carroll Spence represents the third generation of her family to contribute their time and energy to LHSC through volunteerism. Carroll’s mother volunteered for 25 years with the Child Life program at LHSC and her grandmother volunteered as a wayfinder (then known as a tour guide). But for Carroll, a former teacher, volunteering with LHSC was a choice born out of a desire to find connection and purpose following retirement.
“When I retired, I found myself looking for the type of fulfillment I got through my job and I was really missing my students,” says Carroll. “I needed something in my routine that would make me feel confident, valued, and accomplished, like I did in my career, and from hearing about my mother and grandmother’s experiences with volunteering, I thought I should give it a try.”
Her desire to connect with children led her to follow right in her mother’s footsteps, finding her place as a volunteer with Child Life, where she supports paediatric patients and their families through play and practical assistance. During a typical shift, Carroll connects with children who are feeling well enough to visit the playrooms to engage in games and crafts, delivers toys to those who are not, and helps create moments of normalcy during hospital stays. Her visits to patient rooms also give parents a moment to go grab a coffee, have time for themselves, or simply engage in a conversation unrelated to care and treatment. She finds this helps take their mind off the things their child is experiencing in the hospital.
When Carroll is not actively engaging with patients and their families, she helps lighten the workload of the Child Life team by cleaning toys and organizing the many playrooms.
“After a child plays with one of our toys, it has to be cleaned and put back where it came from. When I or the other volunteers aren’t on the floor, this task falls to the Child Life team who already have a significant amount of work to do,” says Carroll. “This is something the team is really aware of, and they are incredibly appreciative of our role and truly treat us as part of the team.”
For Carroll, the most meaningful experiences during her time as a volunteer happen around holidays like Halloween. During these times, the team goes above and beyond filling the playrooms with activities and the children who are able join together outside of their rooms to enjoy normal childhood experiences.
“Seeing the kids interact and enjoy those moments, even teenagers, is an important reminder of why the role matters,” she says. “Knowing that my role helps them just be kids and not patients, even for a moment, is so touching. I am grateful that I get to contribute to those experiences.”
The community that Carroll has found as a volunteer is also an important factor in why she continues to give her time at LHSC.
“There is a strong sense of community between volunteers – the Volunteer Services team, the volunteers themselves, and the teams we interact with in our placements,” says Carroll. “This role has given me a new group of people to feel connected to outside of my personal life. The Child Life team welcomed me instantly and having that connection with my mom being here before me adds another layer onto the relationship I have formed with the team.”
While family is a part of Carroll’s story, it was important for her to find her own place at LHSC just like those before her.
“The fact that we have all volunteered here is a nice addition to our individual experiences. It is something that connects us, but we all found our way here out of our own desire to give back,” says Carroll. “It is important that everyone finds their own journey, just like I have. Find something that speaks to you.”
Kathy and Carroll represent two of the 460 volunteers at LHSC – people who choose to give their time, energy, and compassion through volunteerism with a lasting impact on patients, families, and the rest of Team LHSC.