Luke Constantinides, 35, (pictured above with wife Mandalena and daughters Ophelia and Alessandra) has been a member since being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma two years ago.
It all started in October 2023, when I came back from holiday with a cough that wouldn’t go away. After various tests, I was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin lymphoma. The news was hard to process – everything happened so quickly and I was only in my 30s with a young family. Cancer was the last thing on my mind.
I knew of Cherry Lodge because it had helped my mum after a breast cancer diagnosis many years ago – it was the first place I turned for support, and I haven’t stopped coming ever since.
In January 2024, I started a gruelling six-month course of chemo, and by May the side effects – fatigue, discomfort, bloating, insomnia – had all kicked in. And mentally, I was really struggling. Fortunately, my scans were clear, but cancer is traumatic and recovery has been hard.
Cherry Lodge has helped enormously throughout. When it felt as though my whole life was revolving around treatment, my weekly visits were something just for me, that I could look forward to. It’s such a homely, warm and calming place, that got me away from the same four walls and gave me a burst of positivity to keep going.
Living with cancer changes you as a person, but counselling helped me start to rebuild my life. Reflexology was wonderful and acupuncture with Kiran had huge benefits in terms of energy levels and tackling the neuropathy from my treatment.
More than a year down the line, I have check-ups every three months, and so far, everything has been fine. But I still benefit from visiting Kiran once a week. There’s so much more to experiencing cancer than the clinical side, and Cherry Lodge offers support that hospitals can’t give – it’s a very special place.