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By sponsoring one of our wonderful therapists, you can help someone with cancer feel better

Our amazing team of volunteer therapists give over 100 treatments a month to help people feel better during cancer. 

  • £18 sponsors a reflexologist or massage therapist
  • £20 sponsors an acupuncturist

As one service user recently said “Complementary therapies are expensive privately. While going through treatment on a much reduced income, My Cancer my Choices offered a service that I could not have otherwise afforded in return. It’s also reassuring to attend a centre where there is so much care and understanding for people affected by or going through treatment.”

You can sponsor a therapist in your name, or in the name of someone else.  Hear from some of our remarkable therapists below.

How your sponsorship helps

Your sponsorship money is used to cover the direct costs of providing these one-to-one treatments. Our team of therapists give their time for free, but My Cancer My Choices provide equipment such as massage oil, reflexology wax and acupuncture needles.

We also support therapists by buying their acupuncture license, covering their travel expenses and investing in their training to ensure a safe and excellent service.

Just some of the extraordinary therapists who make the service possible

Susan

Volunteer Oncology & Scar Massage Therapist

“I did a course in scar massage and realized the majority of people with serious scarring were people who’d had cancer.”

I trained at the Oxford School of Sports Massage and am Level 5 certified. I did a course in scar tissue massage and I knew then that if I wanted to help people with their scars, I also needed to learn more about cancer and do cancer specific massage training.  I started volunteering for the charity in January 2022.

What piece of advice would you give to someone coming in for one of your treatments?

That we can tailor the session around how they feel that day. I am there to help them feel better, and a lot of that can be mental as well as physical. Some people like to talk, others can be very emotional, and some might be quiet and just want to relax. Don’t feel that there is a ‘correct’ way to be.

How do you see your treatments benefitting people with cancer?

A cancer diagnosis can completely throw someone, and it’s a very confusing time where they might not feel in control of what is happening with their treatment. I make sure that sessions are about the person, not the disease. It’s a non-medical treatment and some quality ‘me’ time.
Scar tissue can cause tissue and organs to stick together which can cause pain, restrictions in movement, and tingling in the way the nerves have been affected. Everyone heals differently, but the situation can be improved if someone is struggling with scar tissue.

Tell us something else about yourself

I used to swim competitively. I didn’t have time to continue putting the training hours in when I had kids, but I’ve always been very sporty. Apart from that I love reading, gardening, and walking.

Zoe

VOLUNTEER ACUPUNCTURIST

“People comment when they come in that it feels like you’re visiting family, and I’m glad that it’s such a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.”

I trained at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine and qualified as an acupuncturist in 2013. I now have three acupuncture clinics in Checkendon, Henley and Wokingham and have been volunteering for the charity since 2021.

What piece of advice would you give to someone coming in for one of your treatments?

A lot of people are curious to try acupuncture but nervous about the needles, especially as they think I’ll be using huge needles and it will hurt. People are always pleasantly surprised when I show them how tiny they are and that they’re just a hair’s breadth. We can also stop or adjust the treatment at any time so that you stay in your comfort zone. People are always fine once we get started, but I’d just assure anyone that it’s a very relaxing treatment and completely painless.

How do you see your treatments benefitting people with cancer?

About 95% of treatments people ask for are to address their mental health. A cancer diagnosis is obviously extremely stressful and often people come in and are anxious about what is going to happen in the future. Men in particular tend to struggle with anxiety around whether the cancer treatment has worked and what the next steps are. Acupuncture is so effective for anxiety. It’s also great for hot flushes and the aftereffects of chemotherapy, like the night sweats, tiredness and muscle aches.

Tell us something else about yourself

I can do any accent! My husband hates it so if I really want to annoy him, I’ll just pick an accent and speak to him in that.

Anne

VOLUNTEER ONCOLOGY MASSAGE & REFLEXOLOGY THERAPIST

“I knew I wanted to work with people with cancer when I became a holistic therapist.”

I trained at Reading College in 2001 and qualified as a holistic therapist the following year. You are trained to look at the whole person rather than the individual symptoms, so to take their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health into account. I have been volunteering for MCMC since 2017.

How do you see your treatments benefitting people with cancer?

When you look at the science of massage and reflexology there is a whole cascade of physiological things that happen. We do breathe exercises first. Most people know about the fight or flight response, but the opposite is called rest and digest. We spend time getting into that mode of switching off and then I can carry on working. A common benefit of massage is a decrease in cortisol [the stress hormone], and it also lowers your susceptibility to pain and helps to slow your heart rate so you get a relief from pain and the ability to sleep better.

How do you see your treatments benefitting people with cancer?

Most importantly, when people come for a treatment with me I always say it is about loving touch. It’s not about being prodded or poked, it’s about someone laying their hands on you in a way that respects you as a human being. The cancer happens and you can be so sick with it, but there are things that we can do to improve how you feel. It sounds like sessions would be so somber and serious – and sometimes it can be – but there is a lot of laughter and good conversation too. 

Tell us something else about yourself

I am really passionate about cooking! I trained as a Home Economics teacher and taught for two years before realizing it wasn’t for me.  I love that I still get to teach things now.