Jeff's volunteering story
Jeff shares his experience of volunteering
My follicular lymphoma diagnosis was an incidental finding after a scan, so it came as a bit of a shock when the consultant sat me down to talk me through what it all meant. What came as a further shock was that, not only did I have a form of cancer, but they were not going to treat it until I felt really unwell.
In reality, the active monitoring (watch and wait) with 6 monthly reviews lasted for nearly 5 years before I was treated with six cycles of bendamustine and rituximab. This was followed by 2 years of rituximab maintenance therapy which ended in 2020, and thankfully I have remained in remission to this day.
From diagnosis onwards, it has been a challenging and emotionally topsy-turvy journey for me and those close to me. About halfway through, my wife Judy and I attended a Live your Life workshop organised by Lymphoma Action. We found this so helpful, both in meeting and sharing experience with others on the lymphoma pathway, but also in finding the information and support to help create a positive future.
Once in remission, I applied to volunteer as a facilitator for the Live your Life programme and since then, I have taken part in a number of workshops with my fellow volunteer facilitators. Each one has been hugely rewarding for me personally, and the feedback suggests that those attending also value the open, engaging, and informative style of these workshops.
The decision to offer my time to support Lymphoma Action and its goals has been one of the best things I have done.