A book club is providing vital support to cancer patients thanks to charitable funding.
When Flo, from Boston, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, little did she know that a book club would provide her with a lifeline to help her cope with living with the disease.
Flo had undergone years of treatment for breast cancer including lumpectomies and a mastectomy. This is when she met Annie Theed, MacMillan Breast Cancer Care Co-Ordinator, at the Breast Cancer Clinic at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, who invited her to join her book club.
Flo, an Activities Co-ordinator at The Haven Residential Home, Boston, said: “Back then, my mind was all over the place and I couldn’t concentrate, I kept thinking about cancer all the time. But I thought ok, I will give it a go.
“I was sent my first book, which was set in the 1800s. It was brilliant reading it – it took me away from my situation. As I turned the pages I drifted away into this other world, which stopped my brain from overthinking things.
“I’d forgotten how much I liked reading. I was being sent books that I wouldn’t normally buy, yet I read every one and always got something from it.”
The book club was started in 2020 by Annie to keep in touch with patients diagnosed with cancer during the COVID pandemic.
Annie said: “We quickly realised that many of our patients were isolated, with no contact from anyone. So, with the help of funding from United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity, we started the book club.”
Five years later and the club has grown to become a vital online meeting place for cancer patients providing up-to-date information and support for its members.
Annie said: “We have created an atmosphere where people feel relaxed and can talk openly. We are one big supportive family all able to signpost each other to services that members have used.”
Charity Manager, Ben Petts is delighted that the Book Club has been so successful.
He said: “This a wonderful project and as the club meets online, it means anyone in Lincolnshire with a cancer diagnosis can join. The cost of a book could be a lot for some families to find each month; yet by providing this funding, we have ensured the book club is inclusive to everyone.”
The book club is just one project supported by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity. Thanks to the generosity of people living and working in Lincolnshire, the charity can support the county’s hospitals to deliver outstanding care to patients and their families by funding those extras that cannot be provided by the NHS alone.
Image shows Florence Moore reading one of the books
