A picture paints a thousand words

Cameras and photographs

I love photographs. I think everyone likes photographs. That’s why things like Facebook are so popular. People like seeing photos of other people and different places.

I was never much of a photographer before this trip and I am now what some would describe as a bit of nightmare as I take photographs all the time. As wonderful as memories are photographs just capture that very moment that made you want to take a photo in the first place. That photo then goes on to evoke even more wonderful memories that were maybe pushed to the back of your mind. I do sometimes get down on this trip especially when I’m on my own and I find I always turn to my photographs to make myself feel better and lift my spirits up again.

I also love to use photos to accompany the blogs that I write. The written word is immense but a photograph to go with it can help make people feel that they were there as well. When I read an autobiography I can’t wait to get to the middle bit and see all the photos.

My camera(s)

For this trip I needed a camera that was affordable, compact but also took high quality photographs and videos. I met up with adventurer Mark Beaumont (the fastest man to cycle around the world) who gave me some great advice. He also recommended the camera I should use. He used it to film his cycle challenge around the world and it only cost £200 – the Panasonic Lumix TZ30.

This camera was incredible and took awesome video and photographs. Unfortunately I smashed the screen on a boat on my way to Colombia. I fell over and it was in my hand. It was either the camera or my head that broke my fall. I still have it with me today even though it doesn’t work. Call me sentimental but I just can’t seem to let it go.

I then had to replace my camera so I then bought the upgrade my old camera and got the TZ40 which was equally amazing! Unfortunately being the ‘cotton headed ninny muggings’ that I am I broke that as well.

My wonderful friend Holly who I only just met a few weeks ago contacted Panasonic for me, told them what I’ve been up to over the past 18 months and they have kindly sponsored me a new camera. Not only that, it is the upgrade to my last camera which is absolutely wonderful as I’m a bit in love with those.

I now am the proud owner of the Panasonic Lumix TZ60 and it is even more impressive than the last two Lumix models I’ve owned. The zoom is absolutely amazing for such a small camera (see photos). This is a great travellers camera for those who need something compact and high quality.

When I was interviewed by ITV they commented on how high quality my video footage was when they produced a video summary of my adventures. Needless to say they didn’t say the same thing about my presentation skills! 🙂

So a huge thank you to Panasonic for sponsoring me this wonderful camera. I am so grateful for your support.
For more details on the Lumix range please visit www.panasonic.com

Hello New Zealand!

I can’t believe I’m here! The country that I planned to visit in 2010 before being snatched away when an ugly thing beginning with ‘c’ came back and decided it wanted a rematch! It lost, I won and now I’m here!:)
I’m so excited to be here. I’ve wanted to come here ever since I watched the extras on the special edition DVD of Lord of the Rings (nerd alert). I remember thinking it looked like the most beautiful place ever and now I am finally here.

I was seen off at Sydney airport by my lovely new friends Vix and Rob (and a guy claiming to be Santa…that beard was totally fake though) and I was greeted in Wellington by two lovely old friends (old meaning I’ve known them for a while of course:) Lisa and Ruth. There was also a strange bald guy there just hanging around but fortunately he only had eyes for a another Trout!:)

I’m staying at Ruth’s apartment in beautiful Wellington and when I arrived Lisa and Ruth had put together a little bag of some of the things that make New Zealand great to welcome me to their amazing country. It was so sweet of them. My gift bag included a beautiful map of New Zealand, lots of New Zealand chocolate, wine and a lovely card with the legendary Kiwi saying of ‘sweet as’ on it! ‘Sweet as’ meaning…’awesome’ or if your very British…’I rather like that’ …….at least I think that’s what it means. Correct me if I’m wrong Kiwis?

Ruth told me that Kiwi’s aren’t as patriotic as the Ozzies but then proceeded to tell me that New Zealand has the best of everything. Best country, best meat, best sweets, best coffee. There’s a photo of me sampling my first kiwi coffee and looking like I quite liked it (truth is the milk was boiled and tasted funny but it wasn’t too bad:) New Zealand has just been voted the best country in the world to visit for the thirds time in a row so I’m here to see if that holds true.

I’ve already unleashed my inner geek and been to one of the Lord of the Rings locations here in Wellington and I made a new friend by the harbour!:) Just call me Frodo Turkey legs Trout!:)

So here we go! New Zealand it’s great to be here! If anyone from New Zealand is following 101 Things and fancies a hot choccie and a chat then please let me know and I’ll drop in when I get to your town/village/hobbit hole!:)

SO EXCITED!!
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The sun sets on my Australian adventure

I am actually struggling to know what to write in this final post from Australia. I have absolutely adored my time here. More than I ever thought I would and I am genuinely sad that the time has come to say goodbye.
Before I arrived here I imagined my trip around OZ would be a far different experience to what it has been. I imagined I would again be scooting from hostel to hostel in true traveller style.

Instead, everywhere I have visited has felt like home. In Broome where my adventure in Oz started I stayed with my wonderful friend Katherine for three weeks. 2 weeks longer than I had planned. Even if the rest of my trip had been poor from then on I would have still left Australia with a full heart. I absolutely loved my time there.

I went on to meet the most wonderful people as I travelled on The Ghan train, at the hostel in Alice Springs and on my tour group to the mighty Uluru.

I then arrived in Sydney where a girl called Vicki (photo 2-upper) who I had never met before gave me her beautiful apartment for two weeks whilst she went back to the UK. In that time I met lots of amazing people who became my friends. Holly (photo 2-lower), a British girl living in Australia who has not only become a good friend but has helped me endlessly by supporting 101 Things and arranging interviews and meetings with cancer charities as well as making Thing #32 on my list a reality which was to sing at the royal opera house.

When Vicki returned we found out we got on like a house on fire and we have had the best time together. I can’t remember a time when I have laughed so much. She has been so generous, organising a surprise birthday party for me, putting me up in her apartment for the best part of 5 weeks and giving me the best birthday present ever… A trip to swim with dolphins in New Zealand.! Incredible!

Friends for life have been made.

I then went to Noosa where I was reunited with Katherine again and met the wonderful Noosa Nanna before travelling to the Gold Coast where I stayed with Tom and Janice and then onto Brisbane to stay with the lovely Lynnette, Robert and their son Liam.
In each of the places I have visited I have been treated like family and family is one of the most important things in this world. As great as it has been ticking off things like the seeing the Kimberley, the Ghan, Uluru and singing at the opera house, it will be the people that I have met that I will always remember Australia for. These wonderful people have made this one of my most favourite countries I have visited so far.

There are places I haven’t visited on this trip like the Whitsunday Islands and Frazier Island. The reason for this is because I have already visited these wonderful places a number of years ago and my budget is such now that I can’t really afford to do these things again. They are both definitely worth adding to your list though. Melbourne, I promise I will visit you next time.

One thing I didn’t get to do which is on my list is to Dive at the Great Barrier Reef. I can’t explain why but I just didn’t have a burning desire to go there. I think a range of factors influenced this decision like cost, distance and time. I think the most interesting thing about this is that I’m not disappointed I didn’t go. Other than visit New Zealand there is nothing on my list now that I feel I must do. I am so content with my life and my achievements that everything I do from now on is just a bonus. If I tick it off great but I don’t think I will ever look at the things I have not done and have regrets. They can stay on my list as something to look forward to doing in the future.

I now travel to what I have described as my dream country to visit and the only country that I simply could not miss, New Zealand. I have waited so long to get there and now as I prepare to leave Australia I find myself feeling excited but also quite sad. Australia is the 14th country I have visited so far on this trip and like all the rest of the countries I have seen it is filled with good loving people. I can now see why so many people end up staying.

Thank you so much to everyone who has made my Australia trip possible. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and the love and support you have shown me. I will definitely be back again one day but until then you are all invited to stay with me wherever I end up in the world! 🙂

Australia as a whole should definitely be one for your lists! It is just wonderful.

Next stop…Middle Earth!!:)

An evening with the Rotary Club

A few weeks ago I was asked by a lovely guy called Bradley Ayres if I would be the guest speaker at the Strathfield Rotary Club’s Pride of Workmanship Awards here in Sydney. Brad had heard me give a speech at the Cancer Council Relay for Life event the week before and came over to say hello afterwards.

Brad told me about his amazing wife Cheryl (below on left) who I met later on that day. Cheryl has survived cancer three times and is just brimming with positivity. Cheryl and brad were a complete joy to be around and my horrendous Movember moustache and I were so honoured to be asked to speak at this event.

I love giving my speeches as it’s great seeing peoples reactions go from sadness as I discuss my experiences with cancer and PTSD to joy as I show them how I came through it.

I must confess I didn’t know much about the Rotary club before I was asked to give a speech but I was promised a free meal so I said yes!:) I have since learnt about the club and what it stands for and I think it is fantastic.
The rotary club is a wonderful organisation which is committed to creating positive change in the world. Rotary has clubs in many communities across the world and offers services to make the local and wider community a better place for the people in it. Anyone can join the Rotary club and from what I saw that night it is packed with wonderful people from all walks of life and of all ages.

The awards ceremony itself exists to ‘acknowledge an employee irrespective of age or vocation, who, in the eyes of his or her employer, fellow worker, or member of the community, displays outstanding qualities in terms of approach, attitude, dedication and commitment to his or her job.

I loved this so much. It was so lovely hearing people praise their colleagues for their hard work in the work.

I also had the privilege of sitting on the same table as a young guy called Vidhushan who I was told does a lot of voluntary and fundraising work – it’s truly amazing. Vidhushan recently befriended me on Facebook and his timeline is packed with photos and posts of him volunteering and doing things for others. This lad is already changing the world. What a great guy and what a wonderful bunch of people.

A huge thank you to the Rotary Club for having me speak at this wonderful event and for their humbling feedback on my presentation. I love what the Rotary club stands for and it seems to do great things for many people. If any of you are looking to get involved more in your local and wider community then these guys seem to be doing lots to help others. For more info on the Rotary club and to find one near you then please see link –
https://www.rotary.org

Would like a 101 Things to Do When You Survive t-shirt?

Amazingly I’ve been spotted by strangers twice now since I embarked on this wonderful adventure. Once at Iguazu Falls in Argentina and then again in a bar in Washington DC in the states. The best thing about this was that these people didn’t recognise me, they recognised the 101 t-shirt! Love it!

The first photo of what now has become the trademark ‘101 pose’ was taken in the town of Leon in Nicaragua in October last year (photo 2). I wanted a photo taken in front of the cathedral and my friend Gemma suggested I instead turn around and get a photo taken of the back of my T-Shirt.

And that was that! I’ve had photos taken with my back to the camera ever since. It initially started out as way to get the logo in the photo but it has gone on to mean so much more than that.

I now have most of my photos taken like this because I want you guys to imagine that it is you who is seeing and doing all these wonderful things.

I am not going to travel forever but I really want to keep 101 Things To Do When You Survive going when I’ve finished. I think it can help a lot of people in terms of fundraising but most of all in inspiring hope within others. There are lots of amazing people out there and I want to learn all about you.

Yesterday I set up another Facebook page called ‘Friends of 101 Things To Do When You Survive‘. In the new year I will also have a website built to go with this.

This page will consist of a collection of blogs written by you amazing people doing the things that make you happy. These things may be on your ‘bucket list’ or they might just be things that fill your heart with joy. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it makes you feel happy. You don’t have to have had cancer to be part of this. We are all survivors in one way or another. This is about everyone and it is about spreading positivity.

I’d love for you guys to write, film a video and/or post a photo about whatever experience you are doing and send it to me at friendsof101@gmail.com

I will then update the page and the website for you.

To go with this I will soon be selling 101 Things To Do When You Survive T-Shirts that you can wear or hold up for your photos. The idea behind this will be to continue to spread the message of hope but also have a bit of fun. I also think it makes the photo more interesting than the normal face to camera photos.
I would love nothing more than to see all of you achieve your dreams or show me and everyone else just what it is that makes you happy. You can also share your stories in order to inspire others.

I would love to know what you think of this? If there is good feedback then I will let the T-Shirt printing company know that we are interested and get the green light.

In the mean time feel free to like the ‘Friends of 101 Things To Do When You Survive‘ page and we’ll get started on this ‘Hope spreading revolution’. https://www.facebook.com/friendsof101

Another year older

On Saturday I celebrated my 35th birthday. Unlike many others my age I absolutely love birthdays. What an absolute blessing it is to be another year older.

Some people dread their birthday because they fear what will come with old age, fear of losing their looks or maybe because they think their life hasn’t quite turned out the way they hoped it would and another year has flown by. Believe me, mine hasn’t quite turned out how I imagined either. When I was younger I thought by the time I was 35 I would be married, in a steady job and settling down to a normal life.

It’s safe to say that going through a traumatic experience changes all that. Whether you suffer from cancer, have broken up from a relationship or are just so fed up with how your life is going that you need to change it so you can just remember what its like to feel alive again.

My thirties started off as a bit of nightmare but the past 18 months have been the happiest and most rewarding time of my entire life. I have seen and achieved more in this short time than I have in my entire life.

When I think of the things I have done this year I still have to pinch myself. Two of my most favourite moments in life have occurred in the past year. The first one being when I took part in Angelride and rode a bicycle 140 miles across the state of Connecticut to raise money for a camp for seriously ill children. Having never ridden a bike more than a few miles before I did this with a weeks training. My brother rode next to me and my mum was there to meet me at the end. Surrounded by wonderful people this was the most magical moment of my entire life. After years of believing that my body was weak, ugly and had constantly let me down, this ride continued to prove to me that it has actually always been the rock that has kept me on my feet and has never let me down.

Another one of my favourite moments happened a couple of weeks ago when I sang on stage at the Sydney opera house on live TV. This was huge because a few years ago I didn’t even want to leave the house. I had lost my confidence and was riddled with anxiety. Even now I get nervous talking to people. People say how confident I am but it is a total illusion. Before I enter a new hostel I take a deep breath and prepare myself to meet new people. Anxiety is still very much a part of my life but before singing I just told myself that surly this can’t be worse than being told you have cancer….and you know what..it didn’t even come close. I hope my performance in front of an audience of 500,000 people at the Opera house showed others who suffer from anxiety just what is possible.

But I think the best thing about 2014 has been the people I’ve met along the way, the people my experiences have helped and the people who have who have supported me through this blog.

For my birthday I came back to Sydney and people I had only just met a few weeks ago organised a surprise birthday lunch for me. What beautiful generous people. When I arrived in Connecticut for Angelride I was taken in by strangers, given a bike and equipment to use and treated like family. I made friends for life and for a short time I felt like I was home.

I thought this trip would be about completing my list but in actual fact my favourite thing has been the experiences and people I have met along the way.

I leave for New Zealand next week and instead of contemplating what I will tick off from my list I find myself wondering what wonderful people I will meet when I get there.

When I was in hospital this time round I found myself with regrets that I hadn’t lived my life the way I had wanted to and maybe I had missed my chance. If cancer dares rear it’s ugly head again I can safely say I now have no regrets. I am content for the first time in my life. Every new thing I do form here on in is just a bonus and I now want for nothing… except for Thing #101 but I’ll hopefully work on that when I stop running around the world! 🙂

Thing #1 on my list which is to help others through cancer will never be ticked off. I will continue to do this forever more and I hope more so once I stop travelling.

As I write this I’m sitting in a coffee shop looking at the Christmas lights. An old woman has just walked by and given me the biggest smile. I’m not sure why, maybe I was smiling at her without knowing it or maybe she’s just nice. Either way it has made my day.
I’ve had a few health mishaps since that photo of the ill little Greig was taken and I don’t know what will happen in the future but what I do know is that right now I feel like most grateful person in the world. What a lovely feeling to have.

Thank you so much to my lovely Sydney friends for making my birthday so special. You have no idea how much it has meant to me. A huge thank you to the AMAZING Vicki Connerty for making it all happen and for making the best birthday cupcakes ever. You rock VC!:)

An unforgettable trip to brisbane

Some of you may remember me talking about two very brave children called Claire and Tommy earlier on in the year. Claire was 9 years old and suffered from brain cancer. Claire’s mum and dad, Lynette and Robert have been following my journey for sometime and Lynette would read Claire my blogs. Sadly Claire passed away in earlier this year. Although I had never met Claire or her family I was devastated when she died. Lynette and I would email regularly and I really felt I knew Claire. It was because of this little girl that made me realise that I no longer want to achieve Thing #4 on my list which was to have an entire day where I didn’t think about cancer. Claire’s passing made me realise that I didn’t want to forget about having cancer, I just didn’t want to be afraid of it anymore. I wanted to be grateful for having survived it.

Tommy was a gorgeous 6 year old boy who suffered from T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. I was asked to support Tommy’s big sister Caitlin who was shaving her head to raise money for the Australian Leukemia foundation. On the 12th March Caitlin shaved her head in Brisbane and I had mine shaved in a little town in Chile. Caitlin raised around $25,000. She is an amazing young lady. Tommy sadly passed away and yet another family has been left devastated from this awful disease.

On Tuesday I had the immense honour of having dinner with the families of both Claire and Tommy. Lynette and Robert kindly let me stay with them and Lynette organised a lovely dinner out with Tommy’s mum Cheryl, step dad Tim and my head shaving partner Caitlin.
It was a very lovely and humbling evening. Both sets of parents still coming to terms with the loss of their children and trying to cope in the best way they can. I know I have experienced cancer but I cannot even begin to imagine how painful it is to lose a child at such a young age. My lost words were limited to ‘I am so sorry’ upon meeting them. I don’t think there are any words that can even remotely help take away any of the pain. It was lovely to be able to give Cheryl and Caitlin a big hug. They are both just as wonderful as I had imagined.

These wonderful people are going through so much but they welcomed me with smiles and open arms. I felt very honoured to be in their company. As ever it seems cancer prays on the families of good people. I don’t know why it does that.
Caitlin’s hair is now growing back nicely and she looked absolutely amazing when I saw her.

On Wednesday Lynette showed me around beautiful Brisbane and we took the ferry boat up the river and walked to the Southbank where a artificial beach and pool have been built. It looked absolutely amazing with everyone lazing on the beach in the middle of the city.
I also got to see a couple of friends who I first met in Nicaragua last year. Mim invited me to her parents house and to meet her sister Tess and friend Ali. It was lovely to see her and Moe again. Another reminder of just how many wonderful people I’ve met on my trip.

On Thursday Robert, Lynette and Liam treated me to a trip to visit the third largest sand island in the world. Moreton Island is just off the coast of Brisbane and is absolutely beautiful. Robert couldn’t come with us unfortunately but Lynette, Liam and Liam’s friend Ryan got the ferry over and went sand boarding (sand everywhere!), snorkelling around ship wrecks and we fed the dolphins at the end if the day which was incredible.
It was a lovely day but this was also the first time Liam and Lynette had been there without Claire. Despite their brave faces I know how hard this was for them. I hope our time together managed to distract them for even just a moment.

I absolutely loved spending time with them. Liam is a great lad and he’s taught me all about Anime and the fact you can win up to $11million playing computer games! Wow! I’ve been in the wrong job!:) Lynette and Robert are such beautiful people. So generous and caring and they have treated me like family.

Lynette has set up a wonderful fundraising initiative called Cupcakes for Claire where she makes and encourages others to sell cupcakes and raise awareness about childhood and brain cancers. Funding is less than minimal for brain cancer so it needs all the help it can get to find better treatment. All proceeds go to the cure brain cancer foundation. For more details please see here:-
https://www.facebook.com/CupcakesForClaire

I would just like both families to know that there is not a day that goes by where I don’t think about both Claire and Tommy. I’ll always be there for you all in the future.

A huge thank you to Robert, Lynette and Liam for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to be part of their lives. My love and thoughts are with you all.

Movember – Final update

It’s now been 30 days since I started growing my ‘Mo’ and it was only 4 days ago I decided to give up dreaming of gaining the Tom Sellick look and I’ve officially settled for the Errol Flynn look.

I gave my ‘Mo’ a little trim the other day to try and give the same kind of classy look as this cinematic legend!:) What do you think? Separated at birth?:)

Myself and the team didn’t quite reach our £500 goal but I’m sure the money we did raise will go someway to help raise awareness and research for men’s health issues. A huge thank you to everyone who has sponsored us. If you’d like to donate please see link below.
http://moteam.co/101-things-to-do-when-you-survive

Fortunately I have only suffered from one of the three men’s health issues which Moevember raises awareness for. I have managed to avoid prostate and testicular cancer but mental health issues and me still do battle on a daily basis.
I’ve said a lot about my experiences with mental health issues so I won’t keep banging on about it. I’ve attached a couple of links to blogs I have written regarding my own experiences with what I have described ‘as worse than both of cancers put together’. That says an awful lot coming from a guy who has multiple major operations and a ridiculous amount of chemo and radiotherapy.

Those of you who have also experienced mental health issues will also know that this is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Mental health

In the UK alone 6045 people died by suicide in 2011. Over three quarters of these deaths were men.
The basic truth is that men don’t like to talk about their issues. To a man being ‘manly’ means being able to cope with….anything! Admitting vulnerabilities or expressing emotions are not a mans strong point.
However admitting there is a problem is the first step to remedying it!

Types of mental illness

Depression
Anxiety
Bipolar disorder
Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Eating disorders

To learn more about these please types of mental health issues please click on this link- http://uk.movember.com/mens-health/mental-health

Things that helped me

Talk to someone

There are loads of help lines and charities that can help. The first thing you should do is talk about it. You’ll be amazed by how many people will be experiencing the same thing.

Here was I thinking I was losing my mind three years ago and since sharing my story it turns out that an awful lot of people were experiencing the same thing.

Exercise and eat well

It makes sense that looking after your physical well being directly effects your mental health. Go out for a walk, run or a swim and then come back and have a homemade fruit and wheatgrass smoothie. I can guarantee this will help give you a well needed lift in your emotional well being.

Get in touch with nature (yes I am hippie!)

Go for a walk or lie down in a park. Hug a tree, go camping, walk barefoot on grass or paddle in the sea or a river. We are not designed to sit behind desks or drive cars. When I did these things it alleviated the side effects of chemotherapy and gave my mind time to relax and be visually stimulated by beautiful natural things. I promise you this does help if even for just a short while.

Have things to look forward to doing

I know not everyone can up and leave like I have done but even having short weekend trips or meeting with friends at the weekend give you something to look forward to. It is looking forward to doing things that I enjoy that helped me more than anything. Just planning this trip helped me get over the first major effect of my anxiety which was insomnia. Once I started to look forward to doing things my fear of the future instead turned into excitement.

Writing

I was never much of a writer before starting this blog but now I write all the time. I absolutely love it. I write mostly for the blog but also just for me. I find writing down my thoughts and feelings helps me reflect on the positive and distance my self from the negative. Try writing for yourself and then when you feel comfortable share it with family or friends. My dad didn’t agree with me leaving my job and going travelling. He never quite understood what I was going through. I wrote a business type plan explaining my reasons for needing to do this trip that helped him realise the true extent of my mental health issues. After he read this he gave me his blessing and finally understood. Sometimes writing things down can not only help explain things more clearly but also help others understand them better.

Remind yourself of all you have in this moment

Someone asked me recently if I ever thought of suicide. I have never thought of killing myself but I do remember wondering if there was any point to living anymore. If life was going to be like this then what was the point. I would then realise that in this moment all is well. What happens in the future happens but right now I don’t have cancer and I’m doing ok. This realisation would and still has to be reiterated three or four times a day but nonetheless it brings me back round to knowing that in this moment I am well and I have everything I need.

Whatever issues you are experiencing please know that there is help and you are not alone. Most of all please remember that there is a way through these dark times.

To seek support in whatever country you are in please type in ‘Mental Health support’ in your internet search engine.

My blogs on mental health

World Mental Health Day

Anxiety and Depression

Thing #17 – Learn to surf

My second lesson and the first three photos in this album pretty much sum up my day on the board. Can you guess which one I am in the first photo?:)

I scooted down from Noosa Nanna’s (blog about Nanna and Noosa coming soon) house yesterday and arrived in the Gold Coast where I’m staying with my lovely friends Tom and Janice who have spoiled me rotten since I arrived.
Janice’s amazing son Daen took me out on the waves today during his lunch hour and tried his very best to get me standing upright. I did it….once!:)

It was such fun and I absolutely loved it. There’s something quite magical about being out on the waves. I’ve wanted to do this since I was a little boy and it is even better than I imagined it would be. This is definitely something I’m going to peruse in the future and this is definitely one for your lists. World Surfing Championships 2030 here I come!:)

Thank you so much to Daen for giving up his lunch hour and for being such fun.

A few more lessons and I’ll be as good as Daen!

Next stop Brisbane!

Teenage cancer

Last week I had the pleasure of giving a talk to the amazing people at a teenage cancer charity called CanTeen.

After I gave my presentation I was told I was ‘so CanTeen’ meaning that my story encapsulated everything that CanTeen stands for. These guys are amazing in that they support young people aged between 12-24 with the physical, emotional and practical impact of having cancer whether it be themselves who are fighting it or a family member or friend. CanTeen also offers support for those that have lost a loved one from the affects of cancer.

Although I didn’t have cancer in my teens I can imagine how hard it must be for a young adult to cope with its effects. When I was ill as a 7 year old I still had to go to school occasionally. Not only was this tiring but it was also very isolating because I was the only one going through it. I was also the only bald kid in school!

I also felt this isolation as an adult but more because of the psychological issues I was going through. My brother messaged me the other day to say how sorry he was that he didn’t really understand what I was going through psychologically. I don’t think anybody did. I think it’s only through my blogs that people now understand.

CanTeen also provide onLine support for young people affected cancer. In a digital age this is something that is absolutely necessary. Support in every form is how we can help and let others know that they are not alone.

Online support

This groundbreaking new website has been launched to provide much needed support to young people (aged 12-24) affected by cancer, whether they’re dealing with their own or an immediate family member’s cancer (or death from cancer).

In a world first, young people visiting the CanTeen Online Support Platform have 7-day access to professional CanTeen counsellors and 24/7 access to youth-specific information and an online community where they can connect with others their age in similar situations and share their cancer experiences through blogs, forums and real life stories.

Cancer turns young people’s lives upside down and often leaves them feeling scared, confused and alone. CanTeen developed the Online Support Platform so that young people anywhere in Australia can get the level of help and support they want whenever they need it.

If you know a 12-24 year-old dealing with cancer, please send them the website link https://nowwhat.org.au/
or encourage them to watch this short video. http://youtu.be/7_WoNKEd7o4

A huge thank you to CanTeen for having me and it was an absolute honour to meet you all. I absolutely love our 101 pose photo! You guys rock! Keep up the great work. The world needs charities like this.
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