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“You can feel so alone when you’re diagnosed with cancer. You’re just hit with this awful news, and you don’t know anything about what’s going to happen to you. That’s why Cavendish is so important – it’s a place full of lovely, helpful people, that’s always there if you need it. It’s been such a reassuring presence for me and my family, like a friend we can always turn to.”
I think everyone will know someone who has either suffered from cancer or sadly has cancer themselves, and sometimes its not the cancer that knocks the stuffing out of you but the emotional battle that comes with such a challenging illness. Myself and Toni owe our sanity to one place which has really made a difference that is the Cavendish Centre.
The thing about talking to Cavendish is that it gives you a chance to talk about the embarrassing cancers – bowel, bladder and prostate – you can talk about the nitty gritty you don’t want to talk about it with people you know. That’s a big relief.
Cavendish helped me realise it’s not always about being strong you have to open up. I’m profoundly grateful to them.
“The mental health side of cancer is overlooked. I experienced through what happened to me that the surgeons, urologists and nurses have a job to do and that’s to make me better. The emotional and mental side of it isn’t necessarily their job description. That’s where Cavendish really comes into its element, they’re equally as important as treatment. They go hand in hand.”
I never used to notice the weather or the trees. But now I get up in the morning and think to myself, “Welcome to another day on planet earth”.
Nicky is 52, and has been married for 30 years. She has two daughters aged 21 and 24, and a house full of animals. In December 2014, at the age of 49, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was supported by Cavendish Cancer Care through physio healing, after having chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She has since volunteered for Cavendish as part of the Buddy Scheme.
Paul, 68, from Sheffield, is a retired nurse and father of two children. He lost his wife, Kathy, to lung cancer in 2016. To help manage his grief, he accessed counselling, massage, reflexology and art therapy at Cavendish Cancer Care. He says that Cavendish helped him get to a healthy place again.
The transformation in me since starting my treatment at the Cavendish has been amazing. I feel so much better – I’m sleeping well, I’m less anxious, I’ve got more energy, more enthusiasm, and more confidence.
My initial assessment was a very positive, helpful and supportive experience. It allowed my family and I to come to terms with the early reaction to my diagnosis. The assessor actively listened and allowed me to talk freely to someone who as not personally connected to me or my family. It was so important when I found myself in a situation at a stage of my life that I had not planned.