Keeping vital support running for Ted and Susie during the pandemic
With the help of our outstanding supporters, we were there for the exceptional Guy’s Cancer team when COVID-19 struck, ensuring people like Ted and Susie could continue to get the vital personalised care they need.
For Ted Thorne and his wife Susie, the Advanced Prostate Cancer Club at Guy’s Cancer has been a lifeline.
So when face-to-face meetings were brought to a sudden stop by the pandemic, they were devastated.
However, thanks to generous donations from our supporters, we were able to fund an inventive new approach by the dynamic Guy’s Cancer team, who quickly responded to provide this essential support virtually – from weekly quizzes to themed exercise classes.
“The virtual groups have been brilliant. It’s one of those essential things that takes the service for prostate cancer survivors that step forward.”
Ted has been part of the charity-funded support group since he started treatment for prostate cancer in 2018, and says the group now feels “like a family”.
The regular group meetings have given Ted and Susie the chance to share experiences and build close relationships with others affected by prostate cancer.
“We’ve found it very encouraging, meeting all the other people and learning from them”, says Ted. “It’s sharing the experience and not being on your own with it, that’s the key.
“It’s like a family, it really is. The spouses are all involved because it impacts them as well – it impacts the whole family,” he adds.
But it’s also being able to access valuable practical information on topics such as stress management and hormone therapy that really enhances this support for Ted, Susie and others.
“They have speakers come to cover a range of topics such as the diagnosis and what that means, what to expect from surgical procedures, the psychological effect that these things have on a family, the physical repercussions and exercises,” says Ted.
For the dedicated Guy’s Cancer team, it was essential that they kept this service running – even when they couldn’t provide it in person.
“It was devastating to us and to our patients when we could no longer provide the support groups at the cancer centre due to COVID-19, and we couldn’t have kept things going without the support of donations.”
“The opportunity for patients to share experiences, get support and have some fun throughout the pandemic has been invaluable, particularly for the many who have been self-isolating,” explains clinical nurse specialist Louisa Fleure.
“With support from the Charity, we’re delighted to now offer both online sessions which members can access from home, as well as in-person meetings, like our weekly walking group and art classes.”
As Ted adds: “If the meetings stopped now, I think we’d all feel a bit lost.”