Penny Brohn

I first did a blog on Penny Brohn in Dec 2019, 5 months after my secondary diagnosis.

Penny Brohn – originally known as the Bristol Cancer Help Centre was founded in 1980 by Penny Brohn and her friend Pat Pilkington. Penny was in her early 30’s when she was diagnosed with cancer. She soon realised that what people in her situation also needed, alongside conventional medicine, was “care for the mind, the spirit, the emotions, the heart and the soul”.
Penny sadly passed away in 1999 having lived with cancer for 20 years and her legacy has helped provide invaluable support and care to many.
Penny Brohn UK remains the leading UK charity specialising in complementary care to help people live well with the impact of cancer by offering the Bristol Whole Life Approach. People with cancer and their families can explore which lifestyle is right for them by finding out about eating well, learning simple techniques to help manage stress and discover which physical activities are beneficial. They give people the space and the time for reflection and to focus on themselves. It costs them over £2 million each year to keep their doors open. Most of what they are able to offer is free of charge thanks to the charitable donations and voluntary contributions which fund their work and provide this free service for cancer sufferers, survivors and their families.

I had not heard about Penny Brohn until 2017, and I really wish someone had told me about them during my first cancer journey in 2005. It is the most incredibly relaxing place set in beautiful surroundings. You feel welcome and safe. I attended a 2 day residential course which is just one service that they offer and for me this course was an emotional journey. I came away having made new friends and feeling empowered and new tools to use and take forward. There were 17 of us in the group all with Stage 4/secondary/incurable. The women and 1 man, in the group were incredible all with their own stories and experiences. The youngest there were 38. Their humour, insight, compassion, understanding, and  friendships were refreshing and uplifting. It was a time spent having the freedom to talk openly about cancer and not worrying about upsetting anyone and having a chance to reflect.
Sometimes you need that space for ‘you’. A time to spend with yourself – and how many of us actually do this? A time to reflect on your journey so far. An opportunity to take time out and explore other aspects of ‘looking after yourself’. It is not just the physical, medical side of your treatment but it is about looking after your spirit, your emotions and your mind. It is learning to be in the here and now – enjoying that moment.
A difficult part for me – and it still is for me – is the acknowledgement and acceptance that my time is running out. Time is running out for all of us, which I get told quite a lot – and it is true, but please don’t be offended by this, its easy for people to say when they are not actually faced with that knowledge.

I will be posting another blog tomorrow!