It seems incredible that we are already well into June, but at
least it means that summer is beginning to show its face. In this
newsletter, I will share some news, ask for some help and there is
also a gift for you. I’ll keep it short, but please do give me
feedback on what you would like to see here.

The news. This has been a busy year so far, with me on a steep
learning curve. Our first book, ‘Their Cancer – Your Journey’ went
into print last October. Since then I have been finding out the
dos, and especially the don’ts, about spreading the word. I have
now decided to focus more on Families Facing Cancer as an
organisation and less on the book itself (though sales of the book
are what keeps us going). So FFC is going into a growth phase. We
are looking at ways to provide more support, starting with offering
free support via email. So if you have any questions particular to
your situation that you would like to ask – or you just want to
tell someone how you feel privately – please email me on
anne@familiesfacingcancer.org. This facility will shortly be
offered on the website also.

We’re also getting involved with some research. MacMillan Cancer
Support have a pilot study going ahead to look at communication
challenges and determine what information is wanted by family
member of those with cancer. FFC have been asked to be part of the
committee which looks at the findings and makes recommendations for
the next step after this one-year study. If you live in or near
Southampton and would be interested in being interviewed for the
study please let me know.

The request. So how can you help?
Firstly, you can let me know what you need. What can we add to our
website to help more people with more issues? Do you need more
information about cancer, about being a carer, about communication?
Send us your questions and this will help us develop the
information part of the website (your details will be
confidential). What other support would benefit you – a telephone
support group, a regular ‘ask Families Facing Cancer’ call, a
lively forum, individual one-to-one support – or something
completely different? Let us know, and this will help us develop
services in the future.
Secondly, you can help spread the word. Pass on this newsletter to
anyone you know who could benefit from our support, or comes into
contact with families facing cancer. Ask them to also let us know
how we can help. They can subscribe themselves at
http://www.familiesfacingcancer.org to make sure they receive
further issues.

The free gift. One of the ways that friends and family members can
support themselves through this difficult time is by setting aside
time for meditation. But how do you start if you are not already an
experienced meditator? Or maybe you need a little extra help with
your meditation now you are in this challenging situation. To
address this, we have had a lovely lady called Nancy Blue develop
some guided meditations for us. There will be a cd released this
autumn, and in the meantime I have the first audio available for my
newsletter subscribers to download. It is a Mindfulness Meditation
especially developed for friends and family members of people with
cancer. It is a 10 minute MP3 file and may take a few minutes to
download over a broadband connection. If you would like to access
this then sign up for the newsletter on the website home page.

This is our first newsletter, but it won’t be the last. We won’t
bombard you with information, just stay in touch. So please send
some feedback and any requests on what you would like to see. We
want to support you, so that you are better able to support your
loved ones.

With best wishes,
Anne
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Anne Orchard
Families Facing Cancer
Telephone: 0844 35 77 959
Email: anne@familiesfacingcancer.org
Website: http://www.familiesfacingcancer.org