Officials at Cancer Support UK have expressed pride at being able to announce that leading interiors writer, blogger and influencer, Lisa Dawson is to support its mission to deliver better, and more accessible, emotional support for people living with and beyond cancer.
Lisa is passionate about improving cancer awareness and the need for better mental health support. In 2012, when she was 41, Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer. She believes strongly in the importance of early diagnosis, which improves the chances of successful treatment and improved quality of life. Because of her own experience, she encourages women to check their breasts regularly and, if they spot any suspicious changes or irregularities, to make an appointment with their GP promptly.
“It’s difficult to comprehend the impact that a cancer diagnosis can have on someone’s life,” says Lisa. “It’s a life changing event - a huge shock and emotionally traumatising. Diagnosis often gives you little or no time to comprehend the turmoil that ensues, as your body, your mental health and your emotions are changed forever by the impact of the unrelenting treatment’.
“However, unexpectedly, my cancer experience has had a hugely positive impact on my life. Not everyone gets to keep going, but I do, and I am happy every single day that I am still here. I still get anxious. I worry about every twinge, every ache, every armpit pain that could signify that my breast cancer may have spread to other parts of my body.
“I have huge admiration for the work carried out by Cancer Support UK and I am looking forward to using my knowledge and energy to ensure that vital messages about cancer and the importance of emotional support are heard. We have got to address the stigma of cancer and that can only be achieved by us all having open and honest conversations about this disease’s life changing effects.”
Cancer Support UK’s CEO, Mark Guymer, added: “We are so grateful to Lisa for joining us as a Cancer Support UK Ambassador. Her personal understanding of this subject, which impacts so many people, combined with her dynamic yet empathetic approach, is exactly what is needed to help ensure greater understanding and compassion for the significant changes that cancer makes to your life.
"We firmly believe in empowering individuals with the necessary tools and strategies to manage emotions like grief, worry, and anxiety. Understanding the significance of self-management techniques and fostering conversations with empathetic peers are crucial steps toward healing. Whether someone is adjusting to life post-treatment or facing challenges upon returning to work, our goal is to provide a clear and supportive path forward.
“Support shouldn’t end just because someone’s cancer treatment has finished. Thank you Lisa for understanding our cause and becoming a Cancer Support UK Ambassador. Our common ambition is to improve the quality of people’s lives and to ensure greater understanding and compassion for the significant changes that cancer makes to someone’s life.”
Read Lisa Dawson's blog about her cancer experience, written exclusively for Cancer Support UK.
Cancer Support UK’s Cancer Coach programme and Workplace Cancer Support training courses and range of free Cancer Kits, focus on supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of people facing a personal cancer diagnosis, as well as those caring for a loved one with cancer.
If you know someone who has completed their cancer treatment, but who is finding it difficult to face life beyond cancer, please tell them about Cancer Support UK’s free Cancer Coach peer support groups.
They are available to anyone with a primary (stage 1-3) cancer diagnosis. The course takes participants through a series of weekly facilitated group sessions, run for a six-week period over the telephone or online video. Visit www.cancersupportuk.org/cancer-coach to find out more and to apply to join.
To order a free Cancer Kit, visit www.cancersupportuk.org/about-our-kits/
Could you become a Workplace Cancer Support Ambassador? Our Workplace Cancer Support Ambassador programme is designed to give employees the confidence and the knowledge to provide emotional support to colleagues in the workplace, who are affected by cancer. Find out more about this programme and other Workplace Training courses run by Cancer Support UK here: www.cancersupportuk.org/training