Cancer support network in Norfolk and Waveney looking to expand
The Macmillan telephone buddy scheme is hoping to help even more people.
Last updated 10th Mar 2021
Macmillan is looking to find more people with cancer to help via their Telephone Buddy scheme in Norfolk and Waveney.
The project sees someone with cancer paired up with a trained volunteer who can offer emotional support over the phone.
It is all done anonymously and in total confidence.
The scheme was set up at the outset of the pandemic to give people experiencing heightened feelings of isolation and anxiety, the chance to talk through their worries and find out more about the relevant support.
Macmillan are hoping to expand it's reach in the region, in the hope that more people like Trevor will be able to access the support they need.
Trevor's Story
Trevor Greenacre, who's 75 and a former butcher from Burgh Castle, was struggling with an incurable cancer diagnosis when he was paired with a volunteer from Scotland for support.
Prior to his involvement in the Telephone Buddy scheme, Trevor had never been one for talking about his feelings and was a firm believer in the stiff upper lip approach.
But a four-and-a-half-year cancer ordeal left his struggling with his mobility, and the idea of burdening his family with his fears was inconceivable.
Life had dealt him a difficult blow with the revelation he had heart problems, closely followed by the news, in June 2015, that he had metatastic prostate cancer for which there was no cure.
It was a stranger living 500 miles away in Scotland who finally helped him to open up.
That stranger was David, a Macmillan Telephone Buddy volunteer.
Trevor said: âI was very, very down, but with the guy who spoke to me, David, the advice he gave me was absolutely right.
"He got me through the very, very low stage of my life and how to talk to my wife and my children and thatâs the first time Iâve ever used anything like that.
"Iâll generally stick to myself and thatâs it. I just thought Iâd give it a try.
âI felt much better in myself each time he called and it made it easier that he called me, because it can be hard to pick up the phone to ask for help.
"Sometimes it can be easier speaking to a stranger than your family, because you donât want to burden them.â
Trevor's wife, Margaret, said she could see the change in her husband whenever he spoke to his buddy, whose call he came to look forward to each week.
She said: âTrevor has never accepted help for anything, but the chap who rang him just struck a chord straightaway and it was just lovely.
"Trevor is a very private person and struggles to communicate his emotions, but on the phone with David he was able to relax much more easily and they became great friends.
âOne of the things Trevor talked about with David was death - the fact that no one is immortal and how he could talk about it with me â which really helped him.
âIt made it easier that the call would come into our landline, because Trevor has never been one to use a mobile or laptop.
"He used to look forward to his 11am call every Friday, which was super, and it gave him a degree of independence that he doesnât have when I set up his virtual medical appointments on the tablet.
âWhen it comes to cancer, you should take all the help you can get. For Trevor, having that one person at the end of the phone who he could open up to and find some common ground with, that was invaluable.â
Sam's Story
Sam is one of the volunteers for the Macmillan Telephone Buddy scheme and is based in Diss on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.
She spoke to us about her experience of being a volunteer and why she thinks it makes a difference.
Sam told us why she decided to get involved: "When the pandemic hit, like a lot of people you tend to feel, you sit in a position and you think well actually I'm quite fortunate, so I thought this was a chance to be able to do something."
She added that sometimes people do find it easier to talk to a complete stranger: "It feels a safe space.
"It's anonymous and it's very confidential.
"And for some people they have very good support, but there are things that they can't or don't want to discuss with family members, as it may upset people."
Sam said a phone call can make a big difference: "Listening, it seems such a small thing to do.
"But actually, at the end of the time with my lady she said it was something that helped her get through the darkest of times and she can now see a light at the end of the tunnel.
How can I get support?
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from receiving telephone support from a Macmillan volunteer, you can sign up here, or by calling the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00.
Cancer support services in Norfolk and Waveney are also urging anyone who has been invited to attend hospital for an appointment or treatment to continue as planned, regardless of whether they have had their Covid-19 vaccination or not.