featuring SOUTH EAST CANCER CENTRE
Did you know London was once covered by the ocean?
And did you also know that you can still see the living proof of the seas on the London Green Belt? I did not.
If you look carefully, the legend goes, you might be able to detect small assemblies of fine rounded stones on some Green Belt paths.
You might, at that point, feel quite perplexed, as you would find yourself far from the sea, some 60 miles away, and though you might rather enjoy a pebbly beach, pebbles would not be what you’d expect to encounter on your country walk.
Yet, the phenomenon exists. The legend is not merely a legend. The round ocean pebbles are still there, on the hilly English North Downs.
A naturally rounded stone, or pebble, is apparently a stone touched by water, for millenia, until that water decided to recede, and the stone became part of a milky pathway in London.
I live in-between two such long-forgotten pathways and I never knew of their existence until a few Fridays ago, at exactly 11am.
That Friday I met a very knowledgeable man. This man attends therapeutic sessions at South East Cancer Centre. He speaks very highly of the support he receives there. He enjoys all the healing sessions, but particularly loves the talking groups: ‘We get to be really open about how we feel and our symptoms. Open in a way that we never can be at home, around our family or friends.’ He attends the groups weekly – they have become part of his routine.
I met this man in his role of ambassador for the charity, at their main fundraiser of the year.
Aside from his cancer, and his ailments, and the therapies, this man I met a few Fridays ago is also an excellent conversation partner. He loves his geography and has a particular interest in the mineral composition of the landscape around him. He goes for daily walks and rejoices the smell of freshly cut grass, of damp rain soil, the stark colours of autumn and the grey scale of winter.
He relishes every day of his life and the South East Cancer Centre facilitate the physical aspect for him.
SOUTH EACH CANCER CENTRE
I was so impressed to meet the people working and volunteering at the Centre. They are all you would expect from charity workers and more: dedicated, committed but completely understated. They speak humbly about their successes, yet their successes are humbling. This is one of those charities that makes a real difference, to a lot of people. This is one of those stories which brings the best types of tears to your eyes – tears of joy. Hop on their website or on here to find out more.
