Wessex Cancer Trust

For 36-year-old Mark Stopher, 2003 was a difficult year, marking the birth of his daughter, the death of his mother and the news he had cancer of the oesophagus.

"It is not just the physical aspect of cancer, it has a psychological impact as well," Mark said.

"It was a real shock and at one point I became clinically depressed.

"When I had my chemotherapy I took my baby girl in with me. She sat by the bed while I was pumped full of drugs. It was good to have her there it was a reminder that somebody else needed me and I just had to get on with it."

Fortunately for Mark, wife Anna-Marie, son Craig and baby daughter Claire, help was at hand to get them through their devastating experiences.

"My health visitor suggested we contact the Wessex Cancer Trust," Mark, of Chandler's Ford, said.

"Since then, they have provided us all with much-needed support. They showed us how to deal with the initial shock of being told I had this disease and helped with the impact it had on the whole family.

"They helped me to deal with my chemotherapy and surgery I had two-thirds of my oesophagus removed and 25 per cent of my stomach.

"They explained it was possible my eating capacity would be diminished and there may be some types of food I couldn't have any more.

"They gave me and my wife emotional support and arranged a counsellor for me. The counsellor even drove up to see me when I was in my hospital bed in Winchester.

"It was so great to see someone who had taken the time out of their day to come and see me. And they gave me complementary therapies such as specialist massage and Reiki.

"They are great they just pull you through. You think your whole life is over and everything is finished, but they put things in perspective.

"They make you realise how you really feel and how your emotions are affecting everybody around you and they show you how to deal with it."

Mark is just one of thousands of patients who have been helped by the Wessex Cancer Trust.

His story has a happy ending despite the low survival rate of oesophageal cancer, he has been given the all-clear and his outlook is positive.

But he must live with the fact the cancer may return somewhere else in his body and he is still being helped and supported by the trust.

Gratitude As a mark of gratitude Mark has raised more than £1,000 to enable the trust to keep helping other people in the same situation.

The Wessex Cancer Trust started 25 years ago, housed in two Portakabins in the car park of the Royal South Hants Hospital.

Johanna Beschi, the current vice chairman of the trust, was contacted all those years ago to see if she would like to be on board.

"I thought, I'll do it for a couple of years and here I am 25 years later," she said.

"I had worked with the founders of the trust and they contacted me to see if I'd like to join up. I think the reason it began was because people realised there was a lot that needed to be done for cancer patients. There was a need for all the objectives that we had.

"This is a very special year for us, especially when you consider that we started off so small. Now we can see the difference we have made. When we began a lot of the money was raised selling at fetes and sales now we have entire fundraising groups.

"We have always been a small team here but we are a very happy, hardworking team."

Since it began the trust has raised in excess of a staggering £14m which has been put towards a multitude of projects including training, equipment, research, new and refurbished facilities, information, grants, holiday breaks for patients, counselling and complementary therapy.

Recently the trust raised £215,000 for a new ward in Basingstoke, and it is currently working to provide a new chemotherapy unit for cancer patients on the Isle of Wight, due to be completed in July.

It has a number of premises including Bellis House in Southampton, Jane Scarth House in Romsey and the New Milton Chalet in the New Forest.

This year the trust will also benefit from the BBC Radio Solent Daisy Appeal, a year of fundraising backed by the Daily Echo.

Chairman Tim Titheridge said: "This year means everything to us. In terms of fundraising work it is particularly important as we are reliant on fundraising to keep us going.

"With the help of the Daily Echo and Radio Solent we are also hoping to make people more aware of us. We don't just want to make people aware that we are here, we also want to raise awareness of cancer in general and help people become more informed.

"We want them to know we are here to help with information, care, support and treatment. It is so important that people know what cancer is and what it is all about."

Chief executive Paul Herington added: "Over the next 25 years we will see people living much longer with this disease, and hopefully we will be seeing a lot of people living without the disease.

"I think research will be looking at finding a cure for cancer and ways of helping to prevent its development.

"Prevention is the ultimate aim it is better than cure. We are excited about research and hope it will lead to a breakthrough."

The Wessex Cancer Trust will celebrate its jubilee year with a number of special events.

These include a Music by the Lake performance on July 15 at Holywell House, Swanmore and a Jubilee Dinner at the Chewton Glen Hotel in the New Forest on July 21, with special guests including Bob Champion, Alan Titchmarsh, Sally Taylor and Matt Le Tissier.

In addition fundraising events lined up for the rest of the year include a sponsored run, a sponsored swim and a rugby luncheon.

For more information on any of these events contact the Wessex Cancer Trust on 023 8067 2200, e-mail wct@wessexcancer.org or log on to www.wessexcancer.org.