Brenda’s big heart brings compassion to cancer care

Brenda Connelly has a rare gift for turning someone’s bad day into a good one.

That’s a great skill to have in her workplace of 19 years, the Gippsland Cancer Care Centre where physical and emotional challenges abound.

As Brenda cleans, she talks and listens to patients, their families and staff.

“It just comes out of me,” Brenda laughs. “I’m just a talker. When I see someone struggling, I know how precious it is just to smile and ask how they are. When I applied for this job, I knew straight away this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to care.”

Brenda started out in the kitchen at LRH 23 years ago before switching to the Environmental Services team where she has mastered the art of putting smiles on faces. She is also widely known for the care and compassion shown to patients waiting nervously for cancer treatment and their families or supporters.

“I’ve had the privilege of being with family members who are going to lose their loved one. They’ve asked me to be there with them as they pass. Not many people get that chance,” she says.

“I lost my son five years ago and it opened me up to be even more compassionate. You lose someone you love so much and you learn how precious life is. So, reaching out to other people is a very important thing in my heart.

“There’s a lot of love missing from the world. It’s just vanished. There’s so much nastiness. I feel for our children and grandchildren.”

Brenda’s family will be her priority as she ends her shift today and begins retirement, plus there’s a trip to Turkiye in a few months. She may even join our Community Champions volunteer program.

“I’ve met some beautiful people along the way and it’s important to show people who you are and what you’re made of. My heart is big and it will always be that way.”