Claire’s Story
My name is Claire and I have come along today to share with you, my cancer journey and tell you just how important the CSE is to me!
The CSE hasn’t just helped me mentally and physically but most importantly it’s helped me find me again….
It has given me a place to go, a safe place.
Being a bubbly hairdresser of 35 years, I had been there so many times to listen and support my clients through their cancer journey! So, when I was diagnosed with stage 4 low grade serous ovarian cancer I just didn’t know how to react as I had always been there for others….
I wish I had known more about the CSC at this point and how wonderful a place it is with so much support and activities the centre has to offer, as waiting for test results and surgery for me was completely consuming and overwhelming and I just didn’t know how to cope o how to move forward!
So in January 2022 just after my 50th Birthday and still with covid restrictions, I walked alone into city hospital for major debulking surgery – nothing could ever prepare me for how extensive my surgery was going to be and how long the recovery would take I had literally woken from surgery to what felt like the body of my Nan… of a 100 years.
Struggling through and maybe not being ready to address life in my new body and the constant worry of cancer it was during a chemotherapy session, talking to another patient who used the CSC I made the decision to pull on my big girl pants and go and register… my husband and I were surprised to be greeted by friendly faces and a bright modern inviting environment!
Having a very close family and friends, I really didn’t think I needed to be in a “cancer group” as I thought it would be depressing and just not for me! But how wrong could of been!!
I will never be able to thank everyone enough for how the CSC has helped me get back my life, the ladies I have met and the stories we have shared!
Trying new things like yoga, reflexology, Indian head massage and tripudo, which all ease and relax the stressed body, knowing with confidence you are being well looked after is very special… Enjoying the wonderful Christmas wreath making…. The nutrition talks have been invaluable with so much knowledge to support the important part of the cancer recovery…
But my most surprising find has been my love for the Art class, I can lose myself, it calms my mind and has given me something I can do at home as a great strategy to cope with my overactive mind…
The Cancer Support Centre as I said before has become my safe place, somewhere I can go have a bite of lunch, a place to meet others, a place I can go to get support through the ups and downs of my continued cancer journey, when you need a friendly face, someone to listen, someone that understands…
The CSC is the most wonderful special place with so much more potential that need to reach out to so many more …. as I know from my experience I would be totally lost without my visits! It has been the holistic side of my cancer journey, it has been the most important part for me to find the skills to find me again and for my loved ones to know I am being looked after when at times there is nothing they can say or can do to help.
Thank you x