Cancer Charity and Support Group Work
Read about the author Samantha Evans
At Jo Divine we work with several cancer charities, by giving talks, webinars, products and health brochures for events, writing sexual health and pleasure articles and helping people who have been signposted to us by the charities. We also signpost some of our customers to these charities for more support too.
All these charities contribute greatly to the health and wellbeing and quality of life of so many people who have cancer and have been through treatment. They frequently support the work our oncology medical and nursing professionals do and give the help, advice and important information that is often missed, or there simply isn’t time to give within the NHS. They are all smaller charities who understand exactly what their members are going through and offer much needed support on minimal budgets. So please support them if you can.
Womb Cancer Support
Womb Cancer Support is the first cancer charity we started working with in 2016. It is a fantastic charity set up and run by Kaz Molloy who supports many people who have had womb cancer. Kaz is an incredible woman who has had womb cancer but found there was little advice and support post treatment and that there is no official womb cancer charity. She has worked tirelessly over the years alone to provide support and help to many people.
I wrote an article about sex and womb cancer for her website to help women and their partners enjoy sexual pleasure and intimacy after treatment. You can also find an article on our blog.
Peaches Womb Cancer Trust was set up in 2022, and they now support the work that Kaz does.
Peaches Womb Cancer Trust
Peaches Womb Cancer Trust was founded in 2020 by a team of enthusiastic and dedicated researchers, doctors and nurses based at St. Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, who work alongside Professor Emma Crosbie. Prof. Crosbie has dedicated her career to developing early detection tests, cancer prevention and treatment strategies for endometrial (womb) cancer.
Their aim is to preserve the health and improve the experience of those with or at risk of womb cancer and their families, carrying out womb cancer research, raising awareness, training health care professionals and providing patient education and support resources
I gave a webinar at Peaches Womb Cancer Trust about enjoying good sexual health and pleasurable sex in September 2021
Ovacome
We work with Ovacome, to help women enjoying sexual intimacy and pleasure after ovarian cancer. They are a charity which supports women and their partners during and following treatment.
I gave a talk at their Wellbeing Day in 2019 and took part in their Wellbeing webinar in April 2020 and August 2020. I have also contributed to the sex advice in their Sex and Ovarian Cancer booklet
Trekstock
We work with Trekstock, a fantastic charity who support young people with cancer.
I joined the panel at the fabulous Trekstock event Lifting the Lid on Cancer and Menopause on Wednesday 26th February 2020. It was a fantastic event, fun and informative and quite emotional at times. Lauren Mahon ( Girl vs Cancer) was such a brilliant host, so full of energy and incredibly funny, she put all the panel at ease, especially the fabulous Lydia Brain who spoke about having womb cancer at 24 and Nicky Newman who has secondary breast cancer, both incredibly inspirational and amazing women. Dr Louise Newson and Dr Heather Currie spoke about HRT myths and how many women can use local oestrogen, Dr Marie Gerval talked abut her work, ongoing research and how the Daisy Network can support anyone with premature ovarian insufficiency and early menopause.
I was invited to join the panel at Trekstock to talk about Lifting the Lid on Sex and Cancer on 28th September 2021 and joined Trekstock for their 5-week menopause course online to talk about sex and menopause on 4th October 2021. This course was so successful it was repeated in February 2022.
I have also contributed to the Trekstock Sex and Cancer booklet
Lichens Sclerosus and Vulval Cancer Awareness
We work with Lichens Sclerosus and Vulval Cancer Awareness, a support group founded by Clare Baumhauer who had vulval cancer and Emma Norman who has Lichens Sclerosus. They are incredible people who help, advise and provide support to so many people who have vulva cancer or Lichens Sclerosus. We frequently advise people who have Lichens Sclerosus about ways to enjoy pleasurable sex.
I joined Emma in January 2021 for an IGLive to talk about enjoying sex when you have Lichesn sclerosus.
Make 2nds Count
I joined the secondary breast cancer charity, Make 2nds Count, to talk about sexual health, intimacy and pleasure at their Wellbeing week in February 2022. Make 2nds Count are the first breast cancer charity we have started working with, who offer incredible advice, support and help for anyone with secondary breast cancer
Chris’ Cancer Community
Getting HCPs talking about sexual issues can be difficult. So, I wrote an article about why HCPs find it difficult to talk about sex with their patients and how we can change this to make it easier for patients to raise their sexual problems with their doctor at the request of Chris Lewis who set up Chris-cancercommunity. No one has to give up on enjoying pleasurable sex just because they have cancer or have been through treatment.
Chris is an amazing cancer advocate and expert patient, campaigning tirelessly for better care, faster diagnosis and treatment for anyone with a cancer diagnosis. He has campaigned worldwide sharing his expertise, knowledge and passion to help so many people who have a cancer diagnosis, are living with cancer and following treatment. Quality of life is as important, if not more important, than just surviving cancer treatment, and we need to do better because many people are surviving cancer but living with a poor quality of life.
Chris and I made a video about Sex and Cancer you can find on our YouTube channel and Chris’ website too.
The Eve Appeal
We are huge supporters of the work that the Eve Appeal do, attending their events (Get Lippy and Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month) and sharing their campaigns, in addition to signposting our customers to them for support and advice. Eve Appeal support so many people of all ages who have been diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer, which includes cervical, endometrial (womb), vaginal, ovarian and vulval cancers. They raise awareness and educate people about symptoms, encourage people to seek medical advice as soon as possible when they notice symptoms or abnormal changes because early diagnosis and treatment leads to better outcomes. They also raise funding for valuable research into gynaecological cancers for early detection, better screening tests and new treatment, all of which saves many lives every year.
Useful Resources
Chris’s Cancer Community: http://www.chris-cancercommunity.com
Womb Cancer Support: http://wombcancersupportuk.weebly.com
Ovacome
Trekstock
VulvalCancerAwareness
LichensSclerosusAwareness
Peaches Womb Cancer Trust
Make 2nds Count
Eve Appeal
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