Introduction
My name is Helen and in 2017, after more than 30 years of nursing, I developed endometrial cancer.
Following a radical hysterectomy and internal radiotherapy I developed lymphoedema in both legs and, more recently, lipoedema, and made the difficult decision to give up work. It was early after my surgery, during a follow-up appointment that I uttered the words “I wish I could do something to help.” The surgeon literally ran out of the room, and I turned to my husband and said, “what have I gone and done now!”
And so, I ended up running a gynae cancer support group at the Macmillan Centre at the local hospital where I had been working. I must admit that I felt a little bit lost, and the group bumbled along but I was aware that there wasn’t really any direction to it.
Then Covid hit, and like so many things, the group came to a grinding halt. It was only last year that I decided to ring the Macmillan nurses to see if anything was happening with the group and whether they needed any help running it. Silly me! I was bribed with the promise of a free coffee and ended up somehow agreeing to run the group once more.
Helen and her “long-suffering” husband
Macmillan Grant
I rang the Macmillan Centre only to find that we could no longer hold our meetings there. I then rang Macmillan Cancer Support and was told that we were eligible for a grant, but there were certain processes to go through before we would be given the money. It felt a little bit daunting at first and I questioned whether I was up to the task. I decided to go ahead, and the first thing I had to do was to open a business account. Some of the questions I had to answer made me laugh as I had to declare whether any of the money came from dealing with weapons and whether I was intending on having an offshore account!
Once the business account was opened, with my husband insisting on calling me the CEO (I won’t tell you my response!) I went about finding a venue. I decided to use a conference room at the hospital and costed various items such as a kettle, mugs, and social events. Finally, I filled out the grant application. None of this would have been possible without the guidance of Macmillan and the support of my long-suffering husband.
Poster promoting the support group
Starting Up
I went along to another gynae cancer support group in Basingstoke and was really impressed by the way it was run. It certainly gave me food for thought. It was decided, as this was very much a new venture, that we would hold the meetings on a bi-monthly basis for the first year, with a view to increasing it to monthly meetings if it was felt to be appropriate. We held our first meeting in November, where we sat and discussed what people wanted from the meetings. I have always been very clear that, while I am happy to help facilitate the meetings, it is not my group and that everyone there should be able to have some input.
At our meeting this month we had a mindfulness practitioner followed by an hour of discussion. I was really pleased with how the meeting went and how well it was received by the people there. For future meeting I have managed to arrange for an anatomy and physiology session, aromatherapy, reflexology, and very gentle yoga (with not a downward dog in sight!) Everyone I have approached has been incredibly positive and I have been humbled by people’s generosity and willingness to help. The Macmillan team from the hospital come along and they say that they are learning things from the ladies who attend.
The Future
While I feel that I don’t really need the support group myself, I get a real sense of satisfaction and pleasure from being a part of the group. I was determined from the start that I wanted the group to be meaningful and have a purpose, and so far I feel that we have achieved that. This year my daughter Alice is running the Brighton Marathon to raise money for our group, and to enable us to give a donation to Macmillan to say thank you for all the help they have given us and continue to give us. I have various ideas going forward and hope that the group continues to grow.
Cancer Care Map
Support can be a lifeline for people affected by cancer. There is a wide range of services available in the Wessex area and further afield.
Cancer Care Map is a simple, free, online resource to help you find cancer support services near you.
To find support groups and services in your local area, click on the Cancer Care Map logo and enter your postcode in the search box. You can enter key words to search for more specific services.
