OVER two years cancer-free

This post is dedicated to those many brave souls who have made a difference to the life of others in a myriad of ways- and you are one of them.

I am marking the milestone of being cancer free for almost 3 years! Though the 28 December marks 4 years to my diagnosis of an aggressive cancer, I have learnt to celebrate life and become open to all possibilities. Thank you to so many of you who have supported cancer charities through my book which continues to help others through their journeys. Please share this with others who may benefit from my journey.Thank you to the cancer support groups who have come together ‘virtually’ throughout the year and helped to enrich each other’s lives. We celebrated the small but important successes such as finishing treatment, having the fortitude to go through regular follow-ups, enjoying life with family and friends, developing new hobbies and new mindsets – sharing over a sumptuous Christmas Lunch at the Mount Pleasant Golf Club, Stondon, Bedfordshire

Our cancer support group hosted an amazing talk by Professor Robert Thomas, who shared his knowledge so generously to help both people living with and beyond cancer and their families.

I continue to be a volunteer and patient advocate for Cancer Services and Macmillan to support share and encourage people to focus on their well-being at all times.Covid-19 lockdown brought its own challenges and I shared my own experiences of my safe follow-up visits to help people overcome their anxieties about attending their appointments, which are key to recovery.

I was delighted to be invited to participate in ‘NHS Help us Help You’ campaign along with Stephen Fry, Dr Hilary Jones and others asking people to contact their GPs early for any unusual signs and symptoms causing concern, with a message ‘If in doubt, check it out’ thus reducing fear and anxiety and gives a chance of early treatment which can save lives.Another excellent organisation I work closely with is The East of England Cancer Alliance, which endeavours to deliver better outcomes for patients and their families. We are talking to community groups about their cancer experience so that better and appropriate cancer services can be provided.

I am passionately motivated by helping others through their cancer journey and to see people becoming empowered to seek help at many levels including physical, psychological and emotional, to share their concerns with family, friends and health professionals. Always my message is ‘treat the patient and not just the disease’.

I feel not only proud but also humbled to be given opportunities to participate with various interest groups and sharing my insights to help many others. You can listen to or view my highlights:

Let’s talk about cancer here.

I was invited to speak at a Masterclass – ‘Insights into Oesophageal and Gastric Cancers’ by DICE (Digestive Cancer Europe). You can read my story here and watch my video and read my slides at www.digestivecancer.eu

I told my own cancer story to the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express.

I also wrote the prologue for DICE’s essential new diet and nutrition guidance booklet

I was invited to talk on a panel sharing our experiences about cancer in our communities, as part of South Asian Heritage Month, here is the video replay – please do share! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pKhy_Ds4Nc

For more information about support for cancer patients or any of the initiatives I’ve been involved with please visit the Resources page on my website.

As we enter another phase of Covid-19, let us take a minute to reflect on the loss of so many lives, but never losing hope for a better tomorrow. Most importantly let us not forget to live in the moment.

Please do share your experiences and feedback on www.survivingcancer.co.uk , In doing so you will make a great difference by helping so many others.

My thanks to everyone for being with me on my journey, Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year,

Yours, Daksha Trivedi