ROCK HILL, S.C. — Battling cancer is no easy journey, but at Piedmont Medical Center they have a group of volunteers who help make that process a bit easier inside the New Attitude Room.
Located on the first floor of the Piedmont Women's Tower, the New Attitude Room offers free wigs, scarves and hats for cancer patients who may be experiencing hair loss. For volunteer Gail Cooke, it's an experience she knows well.
"I've been through chemo," Cooke said. “They’re very frightened or nervous and I say if I can do it, I’m still here, you can do it.”
Cooke has been a volunteer for the past eight years, but said she noticed how quickly things began to change once COVID-19 hit forcing the shop to temporarily close.
"The room is really small and with chemo patients you don’t want to take any chances," Cooke said.
The week of April 17-23 is National Volunteer Week and this year is the first time volunteers have actually gotten the chance to celebrate the occasion in person once visitor restrictions were lifted at Piedmont Medical Center.
Some volunteers consider this their job or duty, but they also recognize the reward is tenfold.
"I just get those fantastic thank you notes that are great," Cooke said. "You think you’re not doing much, but you have an impact.”
If you would like to donate items to the New Attitude Room call 803-323-2851 or visit the Piedmont Medical Center website for more details about how to volunteer.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.