"It’s incredibly heart-warming to see live, in real-time, this transformation that you know happened within yourself."
Diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2006, Claire says recovery was as difficult as chemotherapy..
“In lots of ways, a doctor tells you that it’s over, that you’re all clear as far as they’re concerned, and you’re free to go and resume your life.
"But in reality, the earth has literally been taken from under your feet and it’s not going to be put back in the same way ever again. There’s not going to be anything to stand on for a while.”
Adjusting to life post-cancer took some time. On her first trip, she took the small steps that would begin to prepare her for a future she had worried might not exist.
"I had fun with peers and stopped carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders."
The support Claire had while she was in hospital disappeared at the end of treatment. The trip was a chance to support herself instead and take control of what form her recovery would take.
“The trip really makes you feel as if it’s okay that I haven’t just walked straight back into my GCSEs and walked straight back into so and so’s birthday party and everything’s fine.”
Across the four days at sea, she began to envision what her life could look like, excited at the prospect of having so much to prepare for.
“Spending time with others at different stages of recovery provided reassurance what I was feeling was normal, but also restored my sense of possibility. I met young adults who had cancer as teenagers and were now thriving."
"The times with the Trust are the best days and weeks of my life."
Claire has since gone on to volunteer with the Trust every year since she turned 18.
“It’s incredible. The times with the Trust are the best days and weeks of my life. It’s incredibly heart-warming to see live, in real-time, this transformation that you know happened within yourself seven or eight years ago.”
She was also elected to the Board of Trustees, becoming actively involved in the strategic side of the Trust’s operations. Now working in her dream job, Claire is appreciative of how the Trust has supported her over the years.
“Without the Trust’s support and the sense of possibility it gave me, I don’t think I’d have had the confidence to persevere with my education and believe I could engage in employment."
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from Trust support, or you want to make a difference to young lives after cancer, here's how you can...
