My Cancer Buddy.
My Cancer Buddy is a project run in collaboration between Mercy Mission and Macmillan Cancer Support. The project has two principle aims. The first is to revive the Prophetic tradition of visiting the sick. Many people do not visit their fellow human beings who suffer with illness, and this project aims to facilitate this act of kindness for them. Our second aim is to provide much needed support to both Muslims and non-Muslims who have been affected by cancer.
My Cancer Buddy has been successfully piloted with Barts Hospital and the London NHS Trust in East London, which serve a large Asian community, many of whom are Muslim.
Why?
The diagnosis of cancer can often come as a shock to an individual and leave them with many questions to answer. They may experience a myriad of emotions ranging from anger, fear and anxiety. When such a life changing diagnosis is made, patients can frequently feel isolated from their friends and family who perhaps cannot truly appreciate their situation. Moreover, they may also feel isolated from their caregivers who have a tendency to ‘medicalise’ everything and ignore the emotional aspect of cancer. This sense of isolation tends to be worse amongst those from ethnic minority backgrounds who have religious, cultural and language barriers to overcome in addition to the difficulties mentioned above. An effective way to combat these issues is to encourage members of minority communities to step up and take the responsibility of supporting patients from their community.
How does it work?
After going through an application procedure, volunteers will be given introductory training on the needs of a cancer patient in general. In addition to this, they will also receive training on the needs and issues that might arise in supporting the Muslim patient. After the training session, volunteers will then be allowed to visit patients and act as advocates of their behalf, by signposting them to avenues of care specific to their needs.
How can I get involved?
Register your interest by emailing health@mercymission.org.uk.
