Retired social work manager David Lewis-Burry, has been a Cherry Lodge member since shortly after his prostate cancer diagnosis in 2021. He explains what that has meant to him …
My cancer diagnosis came right in the middle of Covid – I found out over the phone on Boxing Day 2021, and was left shocked, stunned and very frightened. Like many people, I immediately thought the worst but had no-one to talk to about it. It felt so isolating.
A friend asked if I’d heard of Cherry Lodge, and I just turned up and knocked at the door. Very quickly I was seen by one of the cancer information nurses. She was so lovely – I walked in very anxious, but her balanced, realistic view completely calmed me down.
Having someone to talk to in an atmosphere of calm, kindness and professionalism helped immensely – it gave me a sense of perspective and cleared my head. When it comes to cancer, there’s no one size fits all approach – everyone has different needs and circumstances. Kirsty seemed to sense exactly what I needed as an individual, rather than just another cancer statistic.
First she arranged for me to have reflexology, which was extremely soothing. A while after that I had acupuncture and attended virtual mindfulness sessions. I also had some one-to-one counselling, which helped me find strategies to cope with anxiety and reframe my situation in a much more positive light. I also received lots of practical information about dealing with side effects of radiotherapy, and my disabled partner had the support of the befriending service – he is older than me and needed support and social contact that I could not always provide while going through my cancer treatment.
The most important thing for me is knowing Cherry Lodge is there, and that I can always talk to someone if I hit a crisis. I’ve done a couple of times, when I’ve been feeling particularly anxious. I think we all can deal with more than we think, knowing help is available when we need it.
My regular monitoring continues. I’m feeling positive and well. In some ways, I feel stronger than I ever have before. We’re so fortunate to have Cherry Lodge on our doorstep – it’s wonderful to know that it’s always there, in the background, if we need it.