Julia’s story
Being diagnosed with cancer is life‑changing. For Julia, receiving not one but two cancer diagnoses in quick succession was overwhelming. Finding support at Big C helped her feel safe and supported.
Julia was diagnosed with breast cancer following her very first mammogram. Just two weeks later, she received even more unexpected news – doctors had also found a second, unrelated cancer, neuroendocrine cancer.
She recalls feeling completely shocked and traumatised by how quickly her life had changed, with so much suddenly out of her control. Although the breast clinic staff were “absolutely amazing” and signposted her to Big C, at first she couldn’t face going. Instead, she just wanted to go home.
It was her husband, Mark, who encouraged her to take that next step. “Mark marched me in and said, ‘We’re going to Big C.’” Together, they visited the Big C Centre at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital – a moment that would become a turning point. “The first person I met was a lovely volunteer who was absolutely wonderful. She sat me down, listened to me and gave me a drink – and I just felt safe.”
At a time when everything felt frightening and uncertain, that feeling of safety mattered deeply. Being able to sit, have a cup of tea and talk openly to someone who understood made an enormous difference.
“I was so traumatised by what was happening, and it felt safe to be in the centre and to talk about it – to have somebody who actually understood how I was feeling.”
Looking back, Julia knows she may never have found this support if her husband hadn’t encouraged her to attend. “I wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t for my husband. He’d read the leaflets in the pack you’re given and said, ‘No, we need to go here.’” She smiles as she adds, “and for once, he was right.”
The support Julia received wasn’t about treatments or appointments, it was about compassion and understanding. “The services I accessed at Big C were mainly talking to people – just being there with a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit. Just being there for you.”
She understands why stepping through the door can be difficult for many people. “It’s hard to step through the door, because it’s an admission that you have got cancer – and you don’t really want to believe it. Part of you holds back.”
But once inside, her experience was one of care and reassurance. “Once you’re in, you’re supported and you’re cared for.”
Julia is keen to talk about the part of the cancer diagnosis that is often overlooked – life after treatment. “After cancer is the bit that doesn’t get talked about enough.” Like many people, she found herself longing to return to how life was before her diagnosis. Over time, she came to realise that wasn’t possible. “You spend a lot of time wishing to go back to normal, and then you realise that’s not going to happen. Too much is altered. You’ve altered.” But with the support she received, Julia was able to process those changes and move forward. “The support I had from Big C helped me to change through that and come out the other side.”
Today, Julia reflects on how vital both medical treatment and emotional support were to her. “I always say that the NHS saved my life, and Big C saved me emotionally.”
She believes that without Big C, her story might have had a very different ending. “Without Big C, I honestly don’t know whether I’d still be here.”
Julia speaks with gratitude about the difference Big C has made. “I can sit here and honestly say that it’s changed my life – and for that, I will be forever grateful.”
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