I decided to take part in this program as the cancer that I had, neuroendocrine tumour to the bowel, was caught in the early stages and as such there were no protocols post op’ other than follow up scans in 12 months. Therefore, I had lots of unanswered questions, and it appeared this program could help in that regard. At the time I was both thankful that the cancer had been removed so early, but also concerned as to my future. Engaging with the program was very simple and initial follow up was prompt. My personal Health Coach, Nadine, provided sound advice to my questions about diet and exercise, and was very supportive of actions I had taken in this respect. The structure of these phone interactions was logical and built on each other. Importantly, Nadine explained to me about Chronic Illness Plans that could be generated by my GP. Each of our sessions was followed up with an email that provided further information on the topic we had discussed, for example diet and exercise.

I found it helpful to discuss my concerns with someone outside of my family or my GP. Whilst I was happy to discuss my circumstances with family, I did find it beneficial to discuss my case with an independent, Nadine. The conversations with Nadine provided direction for myself in regard to my own management of my condition.

If not direction then confirmation that my actions such as mindfulness practices, personal assessments of my condition (really how lucky I was to have an early diagnosis), helped ease my mind. Also, leading me to ask for a Chronic Illness Plan (CIP) from my GP has seen me engage with a sports physiotherapist and dietitian. The sports physiotherapist has probably saved me from doing some harm to myself by going to hard in recovery training, whilst the dietician has provided supporting advice to help my digestive system recover. I am not sure if my GP would have led me to a CIP if not for Nadines advice and supporting email. As police we tend to like, or expect, structure and I believe this program meets these expectations. I would encourage any officer who has been diagnosed with a cancer to engage with this program. In addition, my wife has found the program for family members of those diagnosed with a cancer to be very helpful and supportive through a similar process. I can’t express enough how supportive Nadine has been.