Young Bristol cancer survivors invited on sailing adventures

Young people like Lucie Matthews (25) from Bristol, who was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a bone tumour, in her left leg in 2018. Last month, she spent five days on a yacht with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust sailing from the Isle of Wight.

Lucie said: “I was incredibly sporty before my diagnosis, and it practically ripped the entire sporty side away from me. It took away that side of my identity.

“Since then, I’ve been recovering and trying to get it back. Sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has definitely helped.”

Now, other young people from Bristol who have had cancer are being invited to join the charity this summer for their own free transformational experience.

Even after they are given the all-clear, cancer can impact young people’s lives long into the future. Their mental wellbeing in particular takes a massive hit.

Once their treatment has finished, they are often left with fewer friends and struggle with relationships, their education suffers, they miss out on work experience, and they develop body image issues. Late effects of being diagnosed young include infertility, extreme fatigue, osteoporosis, thyroid problems, and hearing or vision loss.

Adjusting to this ‘new normal’ can be extremely difficult, which is why when treatment ends, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s work begins.

Reflecting on her previous trips and the difference that the support of the charity has made to her life, she added: “It doesn’t matter what your condition was, when you arrive, you can still do things. It’s given me more resilience and I can learn to adapt and do things even with a disability in my leg.”

Young people aged 8-24 from Bristol can sign up online for some much-needed support with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust this summer.

Through the charity’s sailing and outdoor adventures, young people gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth, rediscover their independence, and feel optimistic about what comes next in life. They realise what they are capable of, stop feeling like ‘the only one’, and their mental wellbeing improves.

They start to re-establish their purpose and place in the world and believe in a brighter future.

Founder and Patron of the charity, Dame Ellen MacArthur, said: “We see it time and time again. Young people arrive anxious and isolated. But they leave feeling part of something, accepted, independent, and optimistic.

“We are only able to support as many young people as we do thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Because of them, thousands of young lives have been transformed after cancer through life-changing sailing and outdoor activity adventures.

“This summer we will welcome hundreds of young people from right across the UK who need post-treatment support. We will be there for them and they will believe in a brighter future.”

If you or someone you know from Bristol could benefit from the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s support, visit ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org or email [email protected].