A DUNFERMLINE woman is urging those affected by cancer to reach out to Macmillan Cancer Support and not suffer in silence during lockdown.

Sandra Christie was diagnosed with neck cancer last year and has benefited from the help the charity has offered her.

The Fife Macmillan Improving the Cancer Journey service (ICJ) is a partnership with Fife Health and Social Care Partnership and was launched in January 2019.

Cancer patients referred to Macmillan ICJ services are connected with a support worker in their local community who helps them identify what support they need and how to get it, as well as providing support for family members and carers.

Using phone calls and online tools, the staff at the Fife ICJ are ploughing ahead to keep providing a service despite having to stop the face-to-face support it offered previously in hospital, community venues and homes across Fife.

Sandra, 61, couldn't praise the ICJ highly enough and its Fife local area co-ordinator, Mary Lynch, for helping her at a time when she was in a "really bad way".

"I had shut myself off from my family because I was really struggling with the side effects of my treatment," she said.

"It can be hard to let your family in because they’re close to you.

"Mary listened to how I was feeling and gave me practical advice to help with the issues I was having, which made it easier to talk to my family and friends again.

"She referred me to local organisations such as the Circle of Comfort and the Chaplaincy Community listening service, things I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

“Mary was brilliant because it was easy to talk to her about how I was struggling and just talking about it and finding solutions together really lifted me, made me feel more in control.

“Since my diagnosis, my attitude has not been to feel sorry for myself or ask: ‘Why me?’. I’ve been more focused on just getting on with it and staying positive.

“I’m the kind of person that wants to just get on with it and try not to dwell too much. It’s important to me to keep doing the things I’ve always done. I’m keen to get back to work as soon as it’s safe enough for me to do so, and when the shops are open of course!"

Since coronavirus has caused lockdown across Scotland, the Fife ICJ service has noticed a shift in what people living with cancer are most concerned about.

While issues around fatigue and finances were mentioned most by service users previously, it’s now isolation, loneliness and anxiety.

“I think no matter what kind of person you are, the one thing that’s true for all of us is that you just need to talk to someone," Sandra, who finished her treatment on September 27 commented.

"Hiding away doesn’t help.

"You can’t underestimate how beneficial it can be to speak to someone like Mary, who can help you address what matters to you and find solutions to things that are troubling you – like managing how to keep seeing your friends despite being unwell or having side effects, like I was.

“Social isolation is hard, I really feel for people out there right now who are shielding and living alone.

"Talking to someone is so important for your mental health in these situations, facing it alone makes things harder, without a doubt.

"So my message is just don’t face it alone, there’s always someone available at the end of the phone, they’re there to listen and just being listened to can help so much."

To get in touch with the ICJ or to find out more about how they can help you, contact: 01592 578076 or email improving.cancerjourney@fife.gov.uk.