John began suffering with depression and anxiety after being diagnosed with two cancers and Giant Cell Arteritis in a short space of time. But a recommendation from his neighbour to self-refer to our Rehab and Wellbeing service changed everything, and now he feels "a million dollars better".
John's diagnoses
"About November/December 2020 I was diagnosed with bladder cancer that was all dealt with rather quickly because of its urgency. Some months later, now into 2021, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and that had to be acted on very quickly too. I had radiotherapy for six weeks after that and hormone injections to kill my testosterone.
"Then I got diagnosed with a thing called GCA (Giant Cell Arteritis) which is the temporal arteries, so I'm losing the sight in my right eye, and I also had to go on massive doses of steroids.
"All that going on just got me down and down and down and I realised, before I went to see a doctor, I was crying all the time and I couldn't be bothered. I felt like I wasn't a 'proper man' and I couldn't do what I wanted to do. No matter what anybody said, it just didn't have any effect.
"They got me on the 'happy pills' which sorted me out a little bit, but I found I was still pretty lethargic about everything mentally and physically."
Discovering the Hospice and first impressions
"I was born and bred in Letchworth and I've always known about the Hospice, but I didn't know about the Ernest Gardiner Centre until my neighbour who's got COPD said 'you can self-refer to this little gym'.
"And so I spoke to Jayne [in the Rehab and Wellbeing team] and exchanged conversations on the phone and I came up and I've been hooked ever since! I was pessimistic about it, but as soon as I walked through those doors, it just felt so tranquil up here. There were people walking about and it was busy, but it was just so peaceful. And slowly but surely, I knew that it was all going to get better."
Rehab and Wellbeing services
"I joined the six week introductory course and when that ran out, I did the strength and balance class because my legs were pretty weak. They were useless, really, and I couldn't balance. And then I joined the Tai Chi. I do that anyway, so Jayne was eager to get me to come along.
"Nobody here judges you; nobody expects anything from you. They just want to help you. The whole thing is just above and beyond from what I thought it would be. One day we were sitting outside doing our Tai Chi and the staff had gone to the effort to get all the tables and chairs out there because it was going to be a nice day when we could've easily done it inside."
An outdoor Tai Chi class led by physio Jayne
A new lease of life
"It's been an absolute saviour. I never actually thought I'd do any harm to myself, but I just went as down as you can get really. But I'm a million dollars better than I was just a few months ago. I can't get over how I feel about this place - it's just saved me, I know it has.
"I've always been a chatty guy, but when I was down I didn't want to talk to anybody - they were no good to me, they weren't helping me, they didn't understand anything. But my wife says that I'm back now; she's got 'me' back.
"I call it my 'therapy gym' because that's what it was doing for me. The confidence it's given me as well - because I wouldn't have done this interview a few weeks back! But I'm back where I want to be.
"I've got the all clear from the cancer - that's always positive - and the GCA is still going on, so the tunnel is not quite at the end yet from my physical problems, but mentally I'm from down there to up here."
