£ 269k boost for cancer charity
Patient programme is extended thanks to lottery award
I would like to encourage many more patients to attend if they can
A“LIFE- CHANGING” cancer patient programme in Glasgow has received a welcome boost of more than a quarter of a million pounds.
The Beatson’s Living With Uncertainty project is guaranteed for another three years thanks to the charity’s first ever National Lottery award.
The £ 269,800 grant will allow its groundbreaking Fear of Recurrence programme to be extended to all cancer types, and introduce new, additional Living with Uncertainty workshops
Working in partnership with NHS colleagues and Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, the programme will help participants face the challenges of life after cancer treatment.
Distress associated with a cancer diagnosis and its recurrence has a significant impact on many lives in Scotland and for many patients, who feel it is more debilitating than the disease itself.
The Fear of Recurrence pilot project first ran in 2017 and focused on breast cancer patients, helping them to develop practical and psychological coping techniques for managing the ‘ what if’ fears and anxieties that commonly occur after treatment. During Covid- 19, support continued as workshops were held through videoconferencing.
Susan McGoldrick, 56, from Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, completed the programme last month following a breast cancer diagnosis.
She said: “This has made a huge difference to me. I feel like a brand, new woman.
“I have learned so much and feel transformed and it has even inspired me to make recent radical changes in my life.
“I would like to encourage many more patients to attend if they can.”
Martin Cawley, CEO of Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “The medical treatment process for cancer is difficult enough for people to cope with, but when you add the psychological impact on top, it is especially challenging.
“This project supports people to develop their own coping skills, this in turn strengthens their resilience and recovery even further.”