AN “oasis in the week” was how one client described the counselling she received from local charity Positive Action on Cancer (PAC), following her diagnosis of cancer.
This special service is available to adults, young people and children affected by cancer or other life threatening illness.
PAC has run a Young Person’s Counselling Service at Melksham Oak Community School over the past three years. It has provided students with the help they need to come to terms with a diagnosis of cancer themselves, or of a parent or other family member, and to talk through how this has affected them at home and in the classroom.
Funding cuts have forced PAC to suspend this service and they now need your help to ensure that all members of the family receive the support they need.
It is estimated around 10,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year across Wiltshire, Somerset and B&NES. It is not only the patient who suffers. Family, friends and carers are all affected but their needs are often forgotten. PAC offers support to all family members by providing counselling for adults, young people and children. PAC sees over 250 people every year.
“Cancer can leave people feeling isolated, powerless and frightened, turn home life upside down and damage relationships,” explained PAC fundraiser, Michael Auton. “Individuals may face punishing treatment, disfiguring surgery or long-term disability. Others have to face their own death or that of someone they love.
“PAC’s team of experienced counsellors support people through these difficult times, providing a place where they can say the ‘unsayable’, express their deepest fears, discover a way to accept the changes in their lives and find a way to move forward.
“PAC receives no central Government funding and relies on voluntary donations to support its counselling services across Wiltshire, Somerset and B&NES.
“Just £20 would help PAC provide one counselling session to help families come to terms with cancer and enable them to prepare for what lies ahead.
“Please donate now and ensure that we can provide an oasis for people affected by cancer. If you are a tax payer, you can increase the value of your donation by 25% by agreeing to Gift Aid your contribution.”
Simply tick the box on the donation form which is on page 18 of this week’s Melksham News.
If you or your family have been affected by cancer and think you could benefit from counselling, please call 01373 455255, email info@positiveactiononcancer.co.uk or visit www.positiveactiononcancer.co.uk for more information.
