Volunteer Spotlight: Sooz Stever

Volunteers make the work the Living Beyond Breast Cancer staff does every day possible. From in-office support to event staffing and peer helpline calls, people like you help us strive toward our vision of a world where no one with breast cancer feels uninformed or alone.

To celebrate the people who devote so much of their time to LBBC’s programs and resources we’ve started Volunteer Spotlight, a series to share more about who they are and why they do what they do.

This month, we’re spotlighting Sooz Stever, an LBBC Young Advocate.

What’s your favorite thing about volunteering in your community?

I enjoy connecting my fellow breast cancer survivors to resources that will help support them (and their families) in their journeys. A cancer diagnosis, especially one that requires a major physical transformation, can feel lonely and isolating. Learning that you are not alone and that there’s not only emotional support available but fun activities to attend helps “normalize” the experience and validate emotions.

What’s the most unique volunteer activity you’ve ever done?

Last November our Young Survival Coalition chapter put together chemo care kits for ladies who were in active treatment. Each group member contributed an item to the kit that helped them through chemo. All the ladies signed a card of encouragement to be included in the kit. We donated the kits to chemo centers to provide to breast cancer patients. It was a wonderful bonding experience for group members.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I play the saxophone and paid for most of my education on a music scholarship. I have two cats, an orange tabby (Cheeto) and a tuxedo kitty (Martin Scorsese), a husband (who I call DanBear), who I adore and has been a wonderful support throughout this crazy journey called life.

When you’re not volunteering, what are people likely to find you doing?

I absolutely love to plan and organize events and parties! I enjoy bringing people together to celebrate life events or just a relaxing Sunday brunch.

Thank you to Sooz Stever and all of our volunteers. If you would like to volunteer for LBBC, visit our page on volunteering.