£95k Christmas bonus benefits cancer patients
A cancer charity has received a £95,000 early Christmas present so it can reach thousands more people in 2017.
The UK’s foremost holistic cancer charity, Bristol-based Penny Brohn UK, has just received the life-changing grant from leading health plan provider Simplyhealth. The £95,000 will fund three key services, developing support courses for teenagers, young adults and their families, Follow On sessions and a Treatment Support Clinic, primarily across the South West.
Cancer survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years – up to one in two people are affected and half now survive for at least half-a-decade. The harsh reality is, people with cancer have many unmet needs. Diagnosis can provoke shock, anger, fear and uncertainty. Treatment can cause complex consequences including depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, relationship issues and financial struggles.
We are delighted to receive this wonderful grant, which means we can reach even more people and their families facing similar issues.”
Penny Brohn’s free flagship Living Well course supports adults’ minds, bodies, spirits and emotions to improve quality of life before, during and after treatment. About £30,000 will aid a venture, with Teenage and Young Adult with Cancer Service to adapt Living Well for South West young people and their parents over next year.
Living Well includes personalised one-to-one Follow On support with doctors, counsellors and nutritionists to ensure people are never alone and are continuing to live as well as possible. A total of £40,000 is ring-fenced for a year’s Follow Ons – 480 individual appointments across the UK.
The remaining £25,000 supports the clinic for a year – 46 sessions helping 700 people learn about cancer and the immune system from experts, such as oncologists, psychologists and nutritionists. It also includes group self-help on things including relaxation and acupuncture, to manage stress and anxiety. And tailored physical activity sessions including gentle yoga, t’ai chi and Nordic walking, to mainly aid the body.
We’ve seen Penny Brohn UK’s fantastic centre first-hand and know how valued the clinic and Living Well course are to many patients and their families.
We’re delighted that our donation will help the charity provide Living Well to teenagers and young adults, and that many people will continue to be supported with their everyday health needs through the Follow On appointments.
With over 35 years’ pioneering experience, Penny Brohn UK understands that cancer impacts everything and the number affected is increasing. Its Bristol Whole Life Approach supports people with cancer and close supporters to participate in their health and wellbeing, and find the resources to thrive, before, during and after treatment.
Teenage and Young Adult with Cancer Service, based at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, supports young people aged 16-24, their families and friends across the South West. The team sees young people as individuals, providing age-appropriate care alongside addressing their holistic needs, including psychological, emotional, financial, educational and social support.
Caption - Penny Brohn UK, Teenage and Young Adult with Cancer Service and Simplyhealth celebrate the £95k grant to benefit cancer patients