My introduction to The Living Tree was not because I have cancer but because one of the founders of the group, Jo Cotton, is my GP. I actually have a debilitating mental illness and occasionally there is a need for me to chat about it with her. She has a professional understanding of my OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
I approached Jo about my doing some fundraising as a way of giving back the help she gives me.
During the few years I have been doing this, many of the members now help out on the bric-a-brac stalls, the silent “bike-a-thons”, raffles, bottle tombolas and charity auctions as well as the fundraising walks we do, from which there is now an “Ambling” group run by two of the members. We always enjoy what we take part in.
I have made some lovely friends at The Living Tree and they never cease to amaze me at their resilience in coping with their cancer, as they do likewise with my own efforts to live with OCD.