"The trip made me start to think that mental wellbeing is more important than I'd believed it was."
I'd switched back to normal life and gone back to work, which on reflection probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.
I finished the trip in September and by the end of the year I had started therapy. Other people on the trip had said it was something that might benefit me. The trip made me start to think that mental wellbeing is more important than I'd believed it was. It was eye-opening in that sense, I'm glad I went on it.
Everyone goes on the same trip, but we all have our own individual experiences. I was talking to a friend from my last trip who couldn't remember something that happened, and I realised everyone is in their own world as well as each other's. She was getting something different than me from the trip. It's amazing how easy it is for all these different experiences to come together.
I realised the impact of the Trust once I was back in my normal day-to-day. I noticed myself being more open and I felt like I was making safer spaces by helping people understand cancer better. When you start telling people about it, it can be quite doom and gloom, but with the Trust it's more like 'actually, we have all been through it'. It's a more positive take on everything that has happened.
Having been on a number of Trust trips - and now a volunteer - Josh is well-placed to talk about the benefits of long-term support. He spoke to Stuart, who is a long-term donor to the Trust, about why he keeps coming back, what changes he sees in himself and others because of the Trust, and what he hopes his future looks like.
Hear from Josh about what his life is like now on the Trust's Sound Waves podcast.
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...
