Emotional and Practical Support
My husband Simon served 24 years in the Navy. During his coming out medical, the doctor found a lump in his neck and in September 2000, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” says Dawn Civill-Williams.
“Our world fell apar t. All the things we had put in place for our new life had to be shut down. Our boys at the time were around six and four and with ever y radiotherapy treatment, they weren’t allowed around Simon for quite some time.
“My brother also sadly passed away and my parents, consumed with grief, as we were, couldn’t help with looking after the boys so we had to find help with childcare. That’s when I contacted SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.
“Even just the initial phone call with them allayed our fears because we knew that they ‘had us’; the emotional suppor t was impor tant, letting us know that actually they were there for us at any time.
“SSAFA gave us some financial suppor t to help with childcare while we were wrapped up with the cancer diagnosis and they also helped Simon to get a better war pension, when it became evident that his cancer was due to overexposure on a nuclear submarine.”
Six years ago, with Simon in remission and their boys grown up, Dawn became a volunteer case worker for SSAFA.
“I believed my experiences of difficult times could help others. Later I became the Bristol and South Gloucestershire branch chairman and now I am also a volunteer VCJS (veterans in the criminal justice system) case worker, a specialist role with veterans currently on remand or who have been sentenced, suppor ting them through the cour t process – and also, impor tantly, their families.
“We owe a debt to our veterans that will never be repaid. However, when they are in distress we can help in some way. When my family needed help and didn’t know where else to turn, SSAFA made a big difference to our lives.”
To join Dawn in making a difference to the military community in your local area, head online to www.ssafa.org.uk/volunteer