Cancer connections started as a discussion amongst five friends in March 2006.
Although treatment in the NHS is very good, the care available from the NHS rarely provides the emotional and practical help that many people need when trying to return to ‘normal life’ after cancer.
About 650 people in South Tyneside each year are told they have cancer. The diagnosis of cancer can have a profound impact on the whole family. Most people have to stop work for several months while receiving treatment. Partners may have to give up or change work to care for their spouse; children can experience many different problems knowing that a parent has a potentially fatal illness.
In these situations it is helpful to share problems with others who have gone through the same difficulties.
When the charity opened to the public in May 2007 we could not be sure exactly how local people would respond, what they would need and how much it would cost. Some said “Treatment at the hospital is good and there is a caring hospice – what else is needed?”
Others told us “People in South Tyneside won’t come for counselling” and “Men don’t talk about this sort of thing”.
Really?
The number of people who have come seeking help has grown steadily. People with 21 different types of cancer have come to the Drop-In, and there are 10 new visitors and over 120 return visits each month.
Talking and sharing your anxieties with someone who has been through the same experience can be an enormous help – and in case you are wondering, a third of our visitors are men!
Cancer can cause havoc to a family’s finances. Six or seven people each month seek urgent help with benefits advice, debt or other money problems arising from their cancer.
Complementary therapies relieve stress in a wonderful way, and the men enjoy them too.
Counselling? Over the past year 65 people have started regular counselling with one of our specialist counsellors. We do not have a waiting list and can respond urgently when needed. We have counsellors experienced in helping young people too.
At the heart of Cancer Connections are volunteers who have experienced cancer themselves and help others in a similar situation. They give their time freely and contribute to the charity in many different ways.
We also need a minimum core of paid staff: a part time office administrator, specialist counsellors and therapists. We keep running costs as low as possible – about £55,000 per year.
Cancer Connections is unique in the Northeast. Cancer Connections is not a hospice. We are a volunteer charity whose members provide the emotional and practical help needed by people who are trying to return to ‘normal life’ after the roller coaster experience of cancer.
You are welcome at Cancer Connections – a private and safe place with a special atmosphere where people feel able to face their concerns, knowing that help and support are at hand.
Cancer Connections Ltd is a Registered charity no. 1116728