45 stories for 45 years. Throughout 2026, we’re sharing the stories of our clients, volunteers and staff who make the Wessex Cancer Support community what it is.
Through our community’s lived experience of cancer, we can provide our clients with the tailored support they need.
For this edition, our client Lyn, shares their story and experience.
When my husband, Roger, was diagnosed, I didn’t know what to say.
He had been having issues, and the tests had indicated something wasn’t right as his PSA tests had come back high.
Roger was referred straight away and started on hormone treatments alongside six sessions of chemotherapy. It was a bit of a blur.
Fortunately, the MRI scan after the treatments showed that the lymph node had gone back to normal and the prostate shrunk, but he would continue with hormone treatments for the rest of his life.
That’s the thing with the hospital experience; they are there for you medically, with the consistent flow of tests, treatments, more tests, then, it just sort of stops. While it’s great that the treatments stop, especially things like Chemotherapy, you’re kind of still catching up with yourself. It’s like a whirlwind that just seems to pause mid-spin.
During chemotherapy, when Roger was on the steroids, we had to be particularly careful about infections, cuts, that sort of thing. We had a few scares but knew we could contact the doctors and nurse practitioners to support. But, because of Covid, once the treatments were over we just had phone calls as check-ins. It’s not that we felt abandoned, it just wasn’t the same. You know, the contact we had, we felt supported, we could ask questions, and then it felt like it changed. We had moved on, but still needed support.
We had seen an Open Day for Wessex Cancer Support and decided to explore further.
Rather than being black and white and gloomy, we were greeted with a friendly community, welcoming us straight away. They understood how we felt, because the people there had also gone through a similar experience. It was like a door had opened and the room was full of colour.
We had somewhere where we could be ourselves. Rather than just saying ‘I’m fine’ or ‘yeah, not too bad’, we could both be open and honest.
We had found somewhere that understood us, what I was going through as someone supporting another with cancer, and what my husband was going through as someone who had cancer.
We both benefitted from the therapies we received. Counselling and Reiki were the treatments that really worked for us. Neither of us knew anything about Reiki, but it was just marvellous, it was like a pressure valve had been released.
With Wessex, we found people that we could talk to who were able to signpost us to other resources, or could talk to us about their experiences and what they did to ease side effects. It became a community where we didn’t feel alone and we were able to share information about various bits and pieces.
We finally felt like we could see around the corner from the cancer.
We loved coming into the centre for our therapies and chatting to people. We wanted to be part of it, so as soon as we were able to, we wanted to be part of the team.
We asked to be Support Volunteers and help out not just in the centre, but also at fundraising events. They are a lot of fun and it’s great to feel part of the Wessex community.
Working on the other side, you see how much goes into supporting someone going through their experience. Recently, a lady came in when her husband was having his first chemo session, and wasn’t in a great place. But, we made her a cup of tea chatted about what was going on in her life, talking about everything under the sun, not just about the cancer. Sharing little pointers, and who to contact and when. As we were talking, you could see the weight being lifted and that’s the reward, you see the difference you make instantly.
It also has made a difference in us. We’re calmer and worry less about the things that maybe we don’t need to worry about. We’re really lucky to be able to take this experience and support others.
It’s helped us to keep going.
This experience has also inspired us to learn new skills.
From the positive experience of Reiki, we’ve now signed on to train in Reiki Level 1 in a few weeks. We’re hoping to help others discover the benefits it can bring and we’ve even been encouraging our daughter and son-in-law to explore it further.
We’ve been married 54 years this year and found a new appreciation for doing the things we really enjoy doing.
Making the most of the little moments and recognising it’s okay to ask for support, especially when you’re supporting someone else going through cancer.
We’re really grateful for the support we’ve received and inspiring us to try new things.
Our community provides a safe, supportive space for people affected by cancer. Through our emotional and wellbeing services, we provide the support to our communities in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
We’ve been here for you since 1981.
You can call or email your local cancer support centre today, or drop in to speak to our friendly team.
And if you would like to learn more about volunteering and becoming part of #TeamWessex, you can see more about becoming a volunteer here.
