Volunteer brings sunny disposition, empathy to cancer patients

For Halifax cancer survivor Linda Taggart, supporting patients means ensuring they know they are not alone and that free programs and welcoming spaces are available to help them through their cancer journey. 

Linda’s deep dedication to the hospital community expanded recently when she accepted a role as a patient family advisor for psych-oncology. Psych-oncology is a specialized, interdisciplinary field bridging psychiatry, psychology and cancer care.  

Patient family advisors, comprised of patients, family members and caregivers, volunteer their lived experiences to collaborate directly with Nova Scotia Health teams. Their insights help shape priorities and drive decisions that enhance both the healthcare system and the community it serves.  

Drawing on her lived experience as a Stage 4 cancer patient, Linda collaborates with healthcare teams to streamline patient resources, advocating for a centralized online portal to help patients navigate the complex web of available cancer care programs.  

Linda enthusiastically advocates for Look Good Feel Better, a national non-profit organization offering free support programs for men, women and teens undergoing cancer treatment. Marking 30 years of operation, the program provides comprehensive guidance on skin care, cosmetics, wig care and lifestyle adjustments, helping participants regain their confidence. 

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, Linda says the Sunshine Room at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax brings her comfort during her weekly volunteer rounds. 

"When I was first diagnosed, I went to the Sunshine Room and the people there were kind and graceful and gave me some caps to wear at night since being bald had never been in my playbook before,” she says. 

Operating on the main floor of the Centennial Building, the Sunshine Room serves as a calming haven for patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or palliative care. Everything inside the space is entirely free of charge, provided entirely through community generosity and a passionate team of volunteers. 

It’s Linda’s hope this story will highlight the invaluable support offered by the Sunshine Room and the Look Good Feel Better program and raise awareness of the presence of these free resources. The Sunshine Room features a large lounge, a hairdressing room with a styling chair, a wig room, and separate spaces for massage and Reiki treatments. Visitors can browse a vast selection of donated scarves and hats, choose handmade quilts through a popular blanket program, or enjoy sandwiches, cookies, hot drinks and popsicles. 

Beyond physical comfort, the room fosters a unique sense of community and connection. Linda, who crafts pottery pieces and brings them in for visitors, frequently witnesses the emotional magic that happens when strangers facing similar diagnoses share their stories and support one another. 

"I’ve held young people in my arms. They’ve just received the worst news, really, that we can receive," she says. "They have a little cry, and we sit down and have a little chat and they go away feeling a little bit better or at least they have somebody in the moment to sort of catch them as they’re grappling with the news." 

Linda hopes increased public attention will guide more patients through the doors of the Centennial Building. Whether offering a listening ear, a warm blanket or a handmade trinket, the volunteers remain steadfast in their mission to ensure no patient faces the cancer journey alone. 

The Sunshine Room is open Monday to Friday from 9am -3pm.  

Donations of good condition used or new wigs, and new handmade quilts and crocheted or knitted blankets in lap and full single bed size are welcome. 

More volunteers are needed to help with a variety of services, such as registered massage therapy, reflexology and hairstyling.  

Interested in helping out? Contact volunteer coordinator Erin Fair:  erinh.fair@nshealth.ca.  

Photo of Linda Taggart in the Sunshine Room at QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.