Neasan's story

Neasan Daly, 25, is an outpatient living with cancer. He has accessed a range of Martlets services from counselling to complementary therapies and physio.

“I was diagnosed in 2017 with cancer of unknown origin – it appeared in my liver, my lungs and my bile duct. I came to Martlets in August 2018, after the first of two bouts of chemo. I’ve been receiving palliative care as an outpatient; the doctors look after my pain management and medication and make sure I’m as comfortable as possible. Most people with an illness like mine would probably go to hospital for the medical side of things, but having that more personal support through a hospice like Martlets is really important.

I don’t think people realise that Martlets offer a lot of services as well as the medical side, and it’s all free to access and makes a real difference. I’ve had back pain from the chemo and had massage therapy which has been really relieving. Reflexology also helps me with swelling in my feet – it has really brought down the swelling.

One-to-one therapy has been extremely helpful – working things out in my brain and understanding how I display emotions. It’s also helped me learn how to put myself in a positive frame of mind which is useful especially as it can be so isolating. It’s important to get on with what you’re doing – living in the now is the best way to put it.

I also use the hospice physio service to strengthen my core and my balance and the team are making sure my muscles are working as best they can. I’ve been doing aerobic stretches with the balance bar, repetitions with the elastic bands and also a little bit of light cycling on the cycle machine here. It helps me maintain a good quality of life so that I can get out and about when I can.

The experience I’ve been through has brought me closer to the people I care about. I’m so much closer to my family now and my girlfriend. They have been offered complementary therapies as well.

That’s one of the great things the hospice provides – they don’t just care for you, they care for your whole family and the people close to you.”

Help us support more people like Neasan and his family Setting up a regular donation is a great way to offer your support – a regular gift provides a steady income stream that Martlets can rely on and helps us plan ahead.

Donate online at www.martlets.org.uk/donate, call 01273 747455, or fill out the donation form attached.