Welcome to Day 17 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! While the W9AD campaign has been launched to help anyone improve their health and wellbeing, our initial trial has been focused on helping people affected by cancer to build positive habits that boost their wellbeing and help them lead a better life. In today’s blog, I am going to reflect on World Cancer Day and my personal experiences with cancer.
1 in 2 People
1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime. In the North East alone, thousands of new cancer cases are diagnosed each year, with the number of people living with cancer increasing annually.
As the number of people living with cancer increases, more people have significant unmet needs, particularly at the end of treatment. Physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing needs remain a very high priority according to holistic needs assessments carried out within our region.
Cancer and its treatment can often leave a gruelling physical and mental legacy. While many cancer survivors will be well following successful treatment, many others must manage the effects of their cancer and treatment, cope with chronic conditions, or live with stable or advancing disease.
The Strategy for Cancer found gaps in patient cancer care and support, identifying fragmented care and unmet needs for people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. Growing evidence supports the role of healthy lifestyle choices when promoting better outcomes and survival rates.
Cancer is a long-term condition that requires support and care in the community rather than continued reliance on an overstretched NHS acute care setting. The role of charities like Live Well with Cancer is essential for helping people receive the help and support that they need in the community.
Living Well with Cancer
It blows my mind every time I think that 50% of people will get cancer in their lifetime. As the youngest of four kids, the chances are that 3 of the people in my immediate family will get cancer at some point in the future. Thinking of it that way makes it seem very real.
I have been one of the lucky ones, so far.
But there are plenty of people close to me who have not been lucky. My great granda and uncle passed away from cancer. My grandma lived for 20 years past her diagnosis. My cousin was diagnosed young and has thankfully survived. There are far too many more people close to my family that have been affected to mention them.
Truth be told, I don’t know how much I would have engaged with cancer if it wasn’t for my mam. Maureen Elliott has been a cancer nurse for longer than I can remember, helping people across the north east through all stages of cancer, from diagnosis to end of life care. Whether family, friends, or strangers, she has served our cancer community in a way that I am only now appreciating thanks to my involvement with the charity she founded, Live Well with Cancer.
I could never get close to helping people in our community as much as my mam has, not anywhere near. But her example has inspired me to do what I can to help her in her mission of empowering anyone affected by cancer to improve their health and wellbeing.
That’s why every penny raised from sales of The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal goes to Live Well with Cancer.
My hope is that it will sell thousands of copies so that my mam can work full time for the charity and continue to serve our community in the way only the number 1 cancer nurse in the north east can.
Call to Action!
If you have enjoyed this blog, or any of the ones that have come before it, please support our campaign in any way you can. The best way to help is to buy a copy of The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal or donate to my JustGiving page. You can also help us to raise awareness by liking and sharing this blog on social media. As a volunteer-led charity, Live Well with Cancer relies on your support to do the great work that we do, and we truly appreciate any support we receive. Thank you.
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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