Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Last Friday Carmen Bischel had the chance to give back to an organization that helped her through a challenging time in her life, presenting a $7,800 cheque to Nankind.
Bischel, a member of 100+ Women Who Care Lennox and Addington, nominated Nankind to be their latest donor recipient. Each 100+ Women Who Care meeting allows members the opportunity to make a pitch for an organization of their choice, which is then voted on by the members. The winning organization is then presented with a cheque from funds donated by the members.
Bischel selected Nankind because they were there when she needed them, providing free childcare while she underwent cancer treatment.
“They’re been so wonderful to me,” Bischel said of why she nominated Nankind. “Especially when I was going to start radiation after chemo and surgery. Those were more every couple of weeks sort of thing. But once it came time for radiation I thought ‘what am I going to do for childcare?’ which is every day. And they sent me my nanny.”
Her nanny was volunteer Denise Lewis, who was on hand for the cheque presentation on Friday, held at the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives.
“It’s four hours of free childcare for the parents that are going through chemo,” said Lewis. “It’s basically whatever they want to do, from soup to nuts. If the kids are really young we play outside, do crafts, games, and you get to know your kids and get to know what their needs are. More importantly it’s what their parents are able to do. They’re able to go for treatments, they’re able to have a nap if they need it. Laundry, housework, shopping. The things that are hard to get done when you’re going through treatment. It’s just knowing that your kids are being taken care of, they’re safe and having fun.”
Bischel’s treatment was during the height of the pandemic, which meant she had the added challenge of having to deal with unexpected school closures and a sudden need for childcare.
“Denise was absolutely fabulous,” said Bischel. “Anything you need, any time, extremely flexible. You have a lot to worry about. Nothing stops when you have cancer. All your responsibilities are still there. To know that somebody wonderful that your children love is taking care of them while you’re away, it’s just a weight off your shoulders.”
Fellow 100+ Women Who Care L&A members Amber Meyer, Barb French, Melissa Meisner and Deb Lowry joined Bischel to present the cheque to Lewis on Friday.
To learn more about Nankind and how to support them or get involved, visit www.Nankind.com.