Lynne's Story: A Walking Faith

Lynne Smooker recognises just how important it is to ‘walk the talk’. For Lynne the theme of journeying is at the heart of how she connects her faith with her work.

As a teenager Lynne had a very strong desire to travel to the Congo to work with children. It was this deep sense of compassion and care that led Lynne into a career first in childcare, and before long into nursing. “I have always felt very strongly that my work was a vocation and was something I was being called into” said Lynne. Although Lynne never made it to the Congo, she has travelled far with her work.

Early on in her career Lynne suffered from the first of a series of problems that she has had with her back. It was while she was hospitalised that she met her husband to be. He was in the RAF. So, with marriage, Lynne signed up to life as a service wife in which travelling was assured. “It was a wonderful life and I enjoyed it all, but the problem was that just when you are getting settled you moved on. It meant that just as I was beginning to get somewhere in my career I had to change jobs.” On the plus side every step of the journey brought a new challenge and a broader experience. “You develop a sense that somehow each turn was ‘meant to be’ even though you never felt in control,” observed Lynne.

Her journey of faith mirrors her career in many respects. She was brought up in a very active church family but when she started nursing she found it often difficult to get the time to go to church. Lynne became confirmed as an adult in her mid 30s and since then church and singing has played a central part in her life. When my husband left the RAF and we moved to Darlington, I visited St Cuthbert’s Church. Here I immediately felt at home for the first time. All that time travelling eventually brought me somewhere I could put down roots.”

These two journeys have prepared Lynne for the most important journey that she walks with others everyday - the ‘Cancer Journey’ as it is often called.

“Coming to Darlington lead me into the job that I have now as a Breast Care Nurse at Darlington Memorial Hospital. This is the job that Lynne now recognises that she had been travelling towards all her life.

“I start my work with people at the point where they are still numb with the shock of having their diagnosis for breast cancer confirmed and I continue to travel with them until they no longer need my help.” For the next few months Lynne and her colleagues will become a lifeline to people.

Lynne has a very spiritual outlook on her work that comes through in the ways she addresses the tough challenges in her job.

“Building up a relationship of trust is essential. The patients need to know they can trust you and that you are going to be straight with them. This relationship has to be based on honesty. There is no point in misleading people or giving false reassurances. If I sense that things need to be said and they are not being, then I will confront the situation gently. Sometimes you have to ask the question for others so that they can get their real fears out into the open.

“You have to deal with people holistically, that is physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. People are often looking for answers that I cannot give them. After the initial meeting I visit people at home and see them in a situation that is less hostile. It is often at this point that people will talk about matters of faith. It is then I declare my position as a Christian and offer to pray for them and help them with their spiritual struggle, if it’s wanted. It’s funny how often people find it awkward to talk about their faith; they are worried about what the reaction will be. But there is no point in being like Job’s comforters and giving simplistic answers.”

“It is really important that you let go of your own anxieties and worries in this job. You cannot be of help to people on their journey with cancer if you cannot put your own needs aside. You need to be present in the moment to be able to answer the questions that people need to ask. You cannot bring your own agenda into this relationship no matter how much you care.”

Lynne finds that she has to resist the temptation to be drawn into being seen as ‘the rescuer’ in these very stressful situations. “It is really important that I don’t take away any responsibility from the person for themselves.” Lynne never fails to be encouraged at how much people can grow through the experience of having had breast cancer. “People stop and they look at life. They realise that how they live their lives becomes important. I see so many positives come out of the cancer experience.”

Lynne is very clear, however, that the source of her strength which enables her to do her demanding job is the deep sense that she has of being held in God’s love at all times. “God is in the midst of everything I do and is showing me how to focus on life even in the face of the fear of death. I have found that the more that I am able to give, then the more I get back from God. It’s very much a two way relationship with God and I have a deep sense that we are working in partnership together.” For Lynne, her job is her faith expressed, in which she feels she is truly being enabled to do something

The cancer journey that Lynne travels with those she meets is mixed with joys and deep sadness. To be a truly effective partner on the journey, Lynne is always conscious of the invisible companion who is guiding her, trusting her and pointing her to the hope that always exists even in the midst of a very uncertain future.