Loughborough Cancer Self Help Group now in its 35th Year!
Every Monday evening since 1988 a small group of local folk have attended a meeting at John Storer House on Ward’s End in the town centre of Loughborough. Here they have discussed old and new ways to make the best of a bad situation and discover therapies and treatments that are often not made public or are so new they are not common knowledge. The group actually started in 1983 and was one of the first in the UK; older, by a few months, than the National Association of Cancer Self Help groups.
The group was founded by two ladies, Joyce Walton and Gill Hurd who both had been diagnosed with cancer and wouldn’t accept the poor prognosis given to them. They looked for alternative treatments other than the surgery and radio therapy which was all that was available back in the 1980s.
The very first meetings were held in a small room above Taylors Health Food Shop on Biggin Street in Loughborough. Both Gill and Joyce were given a worst case scenario of a much shortened life span by their respective consultants. Joyce was a busy teacher with three young sons and was only in her late forties when first diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Since then she has learned and practiced a whole raft of complimentary treatments, diets and nutritional supplements and met with hundreds of fellow cancer patients and experts, both in traditional medicine as well as alternative therapies and practices.
The aim of the group since its inception was to offer help and support to both patients and their families and friends, with a view to making the very best of their lives however long that may be. Gill lived on for another 17 years, well past her consultant’s forecast, and passed away in her eighties only a few years ago. Joyce is still with us, 35 years and three lots of cancer later; she is eighty seven this year. She tells stories of many members who have long outlived most if not all expectations.
It is free to join the group, it’s open to all and members are asked to contribute just a pound each week to cover room hire costs.
They are very pleased to have been one of the first Charities to join and benefit from The Charnwood Lottery which started in September this year. When you sign up to the Charnwood Lottery, which is £1 per week, you could win £25,000. It was created in 2018 by Charnwood Borough Council and its aim is to support community projects in the local area. The Charnwood Community Lottery operates on the principle of raising money within the community for the community. We empower local good causes to raise money in a fun and effective way.
Another very easy way to support the group is to join Give As You Live:
The Give as you Live initiative is something that any one can do and it doesn’t cost a penny. If you shop on line instead of going direct to the retailer’s site you go through Give as you Live to their site and the retailer donates a small amount to us. You can also buy grocery cards for when you do shopping in the stores. You can load these with an amount of cash and use it to pay at the till. You can also donate via the Give as you Live page.
All you have to do is go to the page, sign up and nominate your chosen charity. Here is the link that directs you to our support link: www.giveasyoulive.com/join/loughboroughcancerselfhelpgroup
Paula Reed of Reed Wellbeing, has been a volunteer with the Loughborough Cancer Self Help Group for the last 9 years and has given complimentary treatments to members of the group, free of charge. Â This is what she says of the group and its members,
“I have witnessed amazing things during my time here. The focus is always positive, there is always another way of looking at things, at situations. If your life is touched by cancer, as a patient or that of someone close, your perspective about the condition can at least be made more tolerable and in many cases lives are transformed. The beliefs you hold may not be serving you for the best. I have seen many times lives made better by being together, sharing knowledge and experience. I am certain there is great good in being open to change and acknowledging that there is another way. I am putting my discoveries down on paper and my book will be published in May 2019. Watch this space!”
To find out more about our group call Eileen Henderson on 01509 265 611.
