16/09/2025
Abaixo deixo o Testemunho Extraordinario de um Voluntário do Movimento Presença Amiga em parceria com o SESARAM Todos nós agradecemos a este Grande Senhor e Voluntário a sua Presença connosco, o seu sentido de humor, a sua forma de Ser e Estar junto dos Doentes, a sua incomensurável Dedicação. Obrigada Mark.
""Presenca Amiga,
It is all in the title really, be a friend to those who need one. We have all had times when things felt bad and we had someone to lean on and when times felt bad and there was no one to talk to, no one to confide in, no one to smile, no one to hold a hand, no one to listen as we cry our tears.
There is one who heard that cry, that call for help from the lost and lonely. I refer to the inspiration behind “Presenca Amiga” Dona Maria do Carmo.
Speaking as a volunteer it is sometimes difficult to see a positive effect of our visits. Perhaps it’s the lack of response that sometimes is not forthcoming.
Alternatively when there is a positive response such change in attitude, the lighting up of eyes or the calling of your name. Is it not a wish of everyone to feel the sunshine in their name?
It does not always happen but when it does it is memorable.
On one occasion I had visited an elderly lady the week before and the volunteers, this particular week, split into two groups. After sometime one of our volunteers told me that there was a lady who was asking where I was. Of course I went to see her and she was very pleased to see me. A feeling that is worth a fortune.
Another time a lady was intrigued by my electric wheelchair and asked me, without the benefit of a working knowledge of the English language, to discuss the intricate workings of the chair. With language, Portuguese or English rendered hopeless, we still carried on a meaningful dialogue with many laughs and smiles.
I expect nothing from my visits it more that someone else may gain a brief moment of joy and happiness that is my reward. Even when there is not always an immediate reaction it still may happen in visits to come and who is to say one patient is in more need than another? I believe we should never loose sight of the fact these patients are real people with lives, families and sometimes endured hardship’s we can only imagine. From exciting to mundane lives. The melting pot of life is a fascinating one and by giving a small amount of time each week to people who need it allows me in a humble way to thank the people of Madeira for allowing my wife and I to spend our life on this most wonderful Island in the midst of its equally wonderful and kind people.
With my best intentions,
Yours faithfully ""
