Nurse Kate Fulton (Image: Getty/Maggie’s)
The sense life is unravelling, of losing control and feeling lost are emotions we hear a lot from people living with cancer.
A cancer diagnosis can turn someone’s world upside down. It takes a toll on every aspect of life — from friendships, finances and fertility to career ambitions and caring responsibilities. All of this can heighten anxiety and distress.
Cancer might be a physiological disease, but we increasingly understand it has a significant psychological impact too.
That’s why we welcome the Daily Express’s Cancer Care campaign to ensure medical teams help their patients receive mental health support both during and after their treatment.
Sometimes a person might be feeling anxious or struggling to sleep — feelings that are completely natural in such a difficult situation. When that happens, Maggie’s is a place where people are listened to and understood.
If they need it, it’s a place where they can cry and a place where they can put down the impact of cancer for a while.
We offer a space for those living with cancer to talk to our staff about anything — from benefits advice or money worries, treatment side effects, the science behind radiotherapy, or something else altogether.
Our cancer support specialists understand the myriad challenges facing people with cancer and no appointment is needed. There are no waiting lists at Maggie’s.
Regardless of how practical a conversation may initially seem, almost all of them lead to a discussion about how a patient is coping emotionally. Sometimes someone might be facing much deeper psychological distress.
For those individuals, Maggie’s offers intensive, in-depth support from our trained clinical psychologists who can help people learn how to manage their emotions.
I once worked with a woman called Sam, who came to Maggie’s following a diagnosis of lung cancer. Towards the end of her treatment, it was clear she’d benefit from individual psychological support as she was experiencing high levels of anxiety about her cancer coming back.
She was struggling with uncertainty about her future health and its impact on her family. Our sessions were focused on helping Sam tolerate uncertainty and manage her anxiety, as well as exploring how to rebuild her life, and manage longer term side effects such as fatigue.
Our support gave Sam what she needed to feel more confident about managing life beyond cancer.
In her own words it allowed Sam to face the enormous emotional impact the cancer diagnosis had had upon her, which felt just as significant as the medical treatment she received.
We help thousands of people like Sam every year, and we want more people to know that Maggie’s is here.
Anyone living with cancer in the family can come into one of 24 centres around the UK. We help to prepare individuals for treatment, deal with the impact of side effects like fatigue and early menopause.
Then, when treatment has finished, we help them adjust back to life and work. We are also there to support friends and loved ones. Or you can just come in for a chat and a cup of tea.