Big Chat

In this week's episode we speak to Barbara Reed, who was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma - cancer of the tongue. We talk about how this affected her personal life as a freshly engaged young woman starting her own business and the support she and those around her were offered from Big C.

In this week's episode, we spoke to Laura Wood, Big C's Support and Information Centre Lead for our Great Yarmouth Cancer Support Centre, and her friend and service user Carly Slater. Both were diagnosed in their 20's with cervical cancer.  We discuss smear tests and education around them, getting diagnosed early, and Carly's journey with IVF and infertility.

In this weeks episode we speak to twin sisters Rachael and Victoria. Victoria was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and after a difficult few years during treatment, sister Rachael decided to take on the Half Iron Man Challenge for her.  They talk about how difficult an experience it was as a family, taking time off work and what it means for your career when you're diagnosed in your 40's, and things they didn't realise about treatment. 

In this episode, I'm joined by Mike Marshall, retired vicar, who lives with pancreatic, colon, and rectal cancer. And Julian Pollard, Big C's Support and Information Nurse.  We discuss Men's mental health during the pandemic, Mike's own struggles with cancer, and why men are less likely to open up about their feelings.

In this episode we speak to Sean Tattan, a PhD student researching colon cancer, and Lewis Wardale, a Masters student, who helped research for breast cancer during his placement. We talk to them about their research, how they decided this was the career path for them, and the fundraisers they both did in 2020. 

Evie Brandish talks to us about her experience getting diagnosed during the Christmas lockdown, having to decide to shield with her boyfriend or her family, and telling her parents from the doorstep she has cancer. We talk about Evie's life before and during cancer treatment, before when she was travelling during the first lockdown as borders were to close and during cancer treatment becoming a vulnerable person before her 20's. 

In this epsiode I speak to Tonia King, one of our Centre Managers, who lost her father to skin cancer just before her wedding. Tonia tells me about how she coped as the eldest sibling of 6, how her siblings had lost both their mum and dad to the same cancer and the importance of preventing cancer. 

A Sneak Peak at what we'll be discussing on Big Chat from talking about losing a family member to Skin cancer and coping as the eldest of 6, to being diagnosed in your 20s during lockdown, to research into cancer treatment and so much more.  Check out the first episode to air on 26 May!