Volunteer Q&A: Lacy
Lacy is a huge fan of Emilia since her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. As someone with a rare ABI, and after hearing of Emilia's story, Lacy was inspired to become a volunteer and is loving every minute of it!
It was a sad day when volunteer Lacy Beisley contacted us to say she was stepping down from her work on Survivor Portraits.
But we’re absolutely delighted that Lacy wants to continue doing an essential role - working on correspondence for SameYou.
We wanted to thank Lacy and highlight her amazing work with a Q&A.
Lacy, from all of us, thank you for being a part of SameYou.
Lacy, tell us how long you’ve been a SameYou volunteer?
I have been with SameYou since April of 2022, hard to believe it has been that long!
Why did you first sign up for the charity?
Honestly, I have been a huge fan of Emilia since her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones and followed her on Instagram. I saw where she created SameYou and shared her story of her aneurysms while filming the show. It really inspired me as someone with a rare ABI and she is definitely one of my heroes. I wanted to give my time to the charity and help raise awareness, so I applied to be a volunteer and have loved every minute of it!
Was your first role for SameYou working on Portraits, or did you work on other projects?
Originally, I was brought on to help form and moderate a Discord server for SameYou, but changes with the app caused some setbacks and during that time I saw where they needed someone to assist with all the story submissions being sent in after Emilia’s interview about the charity – so I volunteered to help and became part of the Portraits team.
What do you love most about being a volunteer?
The relationships you build with the other volunteers has been one of the things I’ve truly enjoyed, you really get to know one another and become friends while you’re working together to put together the projects you’re working on. It’s a support network within a support network, which is very fitting to me! We’re all like a small little family and it’s so wonderful.
What has working on Portraits meant to you?
It has really given me a huge sense of happiness and pride that I’m able to help share these stories of survival and resilience; everyone’s so different and getting to know the person behind the story while you help them prepare it to share with our community has been an absolute joy. It definitely reminds you that miracles happen every day and to never give up hope, no matter what.
What advice would you give to a new volunteer?
I’d say to live in the moment and take it all in: to know that you are making a huge difference in helping SameYou bring more attention to the care ABI/TBI and stroke patients still need after leaving the hospital, which is so very important. Also above all else, have fun and love what you’re doing!