Getting a cancer diagnosis is difficult, and not something you should have to carry alone.
Through peer support programs such as Cancer Council’s Cancer Connect, people affected by cancer are finding support and connection by speaking to someone who has ‘been there before’.
We spoke to a volunteer, Kathy, and someone who accessed support, Claire, about their experiences with Cancer Connect and how it helps them.
Claire and her dad, Bernard
When Claire was first recommended Cancer Council’s support services, she had a lot on her shoulders. Her dad, Bernard, had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, and she was his primary carer while he accessed treatment at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
She was matched with a Cancer Connect volunteer named Chris who had also seen his father go through a cancer diagnosis. That shared experience meant Claire felt she could be totally honest and open with him.
“He was someone I could relate with, and I could say anything and it wasn’t going to shock him,” she says. “His father passed as well, so he could talk openly about the issues we were going to face with my dad’s cancer.”
For Claire, that sense of connection made a big difference. Chris would check in weekly, often when she was in the hospital and she’d tell her dad that her ‘cancer buddy’ was calling.
“To have someone that knew what was coming for me and was able to support me and make it just that little bit easier, if only for half an hour or so each time, that had a huge impact on my mental health during the experience.”
Kathy, Cancer Connect volunteer
One of our Cancer Connect volunteers, Kathy, decided to join the program after nearly three decades of dealing with the ups and downs of skin cancer.
Kathy says that though friends and family may be sympathetic, being able to speak to someone with a shared experience brings a different level of comfort and understanding to the conversation.
“A lot of people don’t get it and it’s not because they don’t want to. It’s just that they haven’t been through the process and they don’t understand the implications of it.”
Sometimes Kathy will just have the one conversation with somebody, other times she will connect with them multiple times over weeks or months. With one woman in particular, she says she has the ‘best giggles’ and feels like they could finish each other’s sentences because of their similar experiences.
Kathy encourages anyone who feels they may like to share their cancer experience to consider volunteering, saying the program not only benefits the person receiving support but also the volunteers.
“I really feel like I’m getting more out of this than the people I speak with. I think it’s lovely that they invite me into their lives and share their stories with me, and I really treasure it.”
Free and confidential support is available at any stage throughout the cancer experience – at diagnosis, during or after treatment, including for those with a genetic predisposition to certain cancers and those considering a clinical trial. Family and carers are also welcome to take part.
Learn more about Cancer Connect or call 13 11 20 to speak to an experienced health professional who can answer any questions you may have.