Winner of the Leigh Anne Snow Award for 2010 - Cherie Fyson

Cherie Fyson & joined the program in August 2001. 

Popeye passed the assessment at 8 months old by mistake! Cherie is one the longest serving volunteer teams in the Sydney branch. There is only one other team who has been in Delta as long.

In the beginning Cherie visited at Charles Chambers Court which is an aged care facility for people who have lived on the street for most of their lives.  We have visited in this facility recently and it can be quite a confronting visit as many of these people have trust issues due to living on the street. The two continued to visit on a weekly occasion at both Charles Chambers Court and the Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick until October 2002.

From what I have heard Cherie was instrumental in visits beginning at Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick insisting that visits begin! Popeye was the 1st dog to visit intensive care which resulted in the dogs also being allowed to visit oncology wards.  They are the only team (dog) that has gone into the surgery room with the patients for comfort as they are receiving anaesthetic, it is for this very reason they have been given permission by the hospital to visit whenever they are available even though the scheduled visiting time is Wednesday at 2pm.

Cherie and Popeye are often called upon to assist with patients/children who are non-responsive or where the doctors are having difficulty with a patient. One particular visit she was called to ICU where a young boy was really throwing a tantrum about having his IV removed, quite justly I might add.  Upon seeing Popeye he calmed right down and agreed to having the line removed so long as Popeye could sit on his bed.  

In 2008 the Children’s Hospital nominated Popeye as volunteers of the year making it into the top ten.