The PBMT Best Buddies Program seeks to alleviate those concerns by being a serving friend to pediatric bone marrow/stem cell transplant patients and families here at Duke Children's Hospital.

With the difficult pace of medical care, it is not always easy for the Duke's PBMT staff to meet all the needs of each family. The PBMT Best Buddies Program has been established to help meet this goal.

The PBMT Best Buddies Program is a volunteer organization coordinated by a director and back-boned by caring individuals from the Triangle community. It is a part of the Duke PBMT Family Support Program.

PBMT Best Buddies volunteers provide an essential connection to the community, offsetting feelings of isolation and loneliness a patient and family may experience. Avenues of assistance are diverse, and are continuously discovered as the volunteer and family develop a trusting relationship.

How do best buddies help?

Best Buddies frequently visit patient and family, being a friend and a listener. They provide respite care and sit with the patient while the parents spend some time away. Best buddies provide occasional home-cooked meals, launder clothes, help to bring a welcome change of activities or conversation, help care for siblings, and give out-of-town families a local area orientation.

What skills do best buddies need? How are best buddies trained?

Best Buddies participate in a training session led by the PBMT Family Support Program Director, Duke Children's medical staff, and local experts. Training covers information about cancer, bone marrow/stem cell transplantation, the psycho-social needs of the patient and family, the role of the healthcare provider, communication skills and grief/loss issues.

Where do best buddies serve?

Best Buddies help inpatient and outpatient pediatric bone marrow/stem cell transplant patients and families for the duration of their treatment.

Volunteers will work with families in the PBMT unit, in the outpatient clinic and in different outpatient settings, such as the Ronald McDonald House.

Best Buddies are paired with a family according to the volunteer's skills and the family's needs. No matter how diverse or complicated a family's situation may be, the Best Buddies volunteers work diligently to meet those particular needs.

Best Buddy Articles

Best Buddies contribute articles to the Community Counts Newsletter.  Here are some past articles that share volunteers' perspectives.

• Training
• Bravery
• Don't just do something....stand there
• No Constants