Chris's Cancer Community

Be Kind To Yourself!

Chris On December 3, 2017 / cancer awareness, Cancer Support, cancer survival / Leave a comment

Unfortunately it has been quite a few weeks since I have been able to sit down and write a blog. Pressure for time has been extreme during November. Not really down to bad planning but many exciting events asking me to speak, unfortunately all coming within the same month. If I add the travelling into the mix, I have found it difficult at times, and this period ended with me being a guest speaker at a fabulous conference in Vienna, which was an incredible experience, but very physically and emotionally demanding. December is deliberately much quieter, and time to recuperate and build up my strength, for what will be another challenging year. I am finding myself increasingly torn between doing more speaking roles, and increasing my travelling, or taking my

“Relationships Are Everything”

Chris On November 12, 2017 / cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment, social media and cancer support / Leave a comment

I’m having a relationship with a lady from Australia I have only just met! Also a man from Prague, several people from America, and yes, Mrs L is fully aware. OK, it’s not in a face to face physical sense, but it’s great anyway. The last few weeks have been extremely busy with several presentations to do. Whilst speaking at the Swallows head and neck cancer conference I met Julie McCrossin, who was also doing a presentation. As soon as I saw her title slide I knew immediately she got what we are all doing. Without really realising it we are creating relationships daily. Either physically or through social media we are engaging with others. In many cases it can be hard work and sometimes not worth the effort, but

Worldwide Cancer Collaboration

Chris On October 29, 2017 / cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment / Leave a comment

I am completely and utterly amazed, that having gone through all that I have in the last few years, I am still alive and being able to do some incredible things! Never knowing what the next call or email might bring. There are so many requests now, that I have to refuse many, ensuring that I have time and energy for those that will make an immediate difference to the people I meet. It is also incredible how many asks I get from abroad. Of course the issues around cancer are the same everywhere, but social media has helped us communicate and share with others that have similar problems to our own. My great interest is in people working differently, with innovative ideas. Being a businessman myself I was always

We Must Open Our Minds And Embrace Change!

Chris On October 22, 2017 / cancer awareness, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment / Leave a comment

As we now begin to find different solutions to the ever increasing need for cancer support, we are understanding that our previous ‘one size fits all’ approach is just not good enough anymore. Large organisations are now struggling to keep up with the variations of demand that is occurring. Of course, every person affected by cancer is totally unique and what their requirements are, won’t be the same as someone else’s. To make things more tricky, we all have different needs at different times, so we must be looking at everyone holistically, which of course makes perfect sense, and has finally started to happen. One of those areas of support that has become very popular is coaching. I have personally met many cancer/life coaches within my work and socially, and

The Excitement Of New Experiences!

Chris On October 8, 2017 / cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment, social media and cancer support / 2 Comments

Let’s be honest for many of us life can be a bit of a drudge. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. Doing our best to make space for family, friends and a social life. Having said that there is no one more grateful for anything that life throws my way than me! ‘Every day is a bonus,’ is my personal mantra, and I absolutely make the most of the time, even negative experiences. I smile in the face of adversity, and on many occasions have talked to lovely people whilst solving my problems. I was lucky that I led a life that I loved before cancer, which gave me incredible life experiences. But since cancer I have had many more, very different ones, that I could never even begin to imagine. Writing,

Sex, And Our Children

Chris On September 24, 2017 / cancer awareness, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment, social media and cancer support / Leave a comment

As many of you know it is gynaecological cancer awareness month, and I have been doing a lot of work with the wonderful Eve Appeal. I was invited to attend a very interesting debate about the taboos of talking about women’s body parts in the correct terms and how this simple issue leads to so many problems. Poor communication being the main one, leading to possible complex health issues later on in life. Personally I have always believed that we have never dealt with sex education correctly since I was a child. Now our world has become more complex, with mobile technology and a rapid shift for younger people. It seems to me that the only logical way to deal with this is at school? But these days it seems

Let’s Smash The Taboos!

Chris On September 3, 2017 / cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment / 10 Comments

We often hear about ‘women’s cancers, and men’s cancers,’ of course these exist but I believe that both sexes need to be more open when discussing these with each other. This week I am sharing a post by my great friend Athena Lamnisos who is the CEO of the wonderful charity, The Eve Appeal, showing the general lack of knowledge and awareness particularly by us men, when talking about gynaecological issues. Make no mistake we have a valuable role to play, and must get beyond the ’embarrassment issue.’ There can no longer be any excuses! “‘Not just women’s troubles.’ Speaking to a group of city people recently, I started my pitch about The Eve Appeal by asking a question: “How many of you are aware of prostate cancer and its

Making Patients Number One!

Chris On August 27, 2017 / cancer, cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment / 2 Comments

There are times when it feels like I am swimming against the tide, talking about the uncomfortable things that I see, or more to the point don’t see in cancer support. But virtually everyone I hear from sees the same things and we all agree that it is a scandal, the amount of wastage, be it time or money in the cancer sector mostly due to lack of collaboration. But of course this all comes from the top, and I have recently read the below piece which sums things up perfectly. “Mental healthcare within the UK and globally has come under increasing scrutiny. With mental health problems being the main cause of overall disease burdens, the second leading cause of disability worldwide, and a major contributor to suicide, there