“Steering the boat has made me the happiest person alive” exclaims young cancer survivor

There are still opportunities for other young people from across Northumberland to get onboard this summer as the charity sets sail for 2024.

Katie-Jo Bartlett, 18, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2022. Before her week with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, she had never sailed a boat, seen wildlife out at sea or met people like her, now she has made more friends and feels involved.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust takes young people aged 18-24 on sailing and outdoor adventures to inspire them to believe in a brighter future living through and beyond cancer.

Katie-Jo said: “You’re in hospital for a long time, you come out and you don’t feel well. You feel like your body has changed; your mental health has changed.

“For a long time, I felt like I was by myself. I used to sit in my room and be really upset about not knowing anyone with the same diagnosis. Meeting my ‘tumour twin’ was the best part of my week. It’s made a difference because now if I need someone to talk to, I know exactly who to go to.”

Cancer can have a big impact on a young person’s mental wellbeing beyond treatment, and what happens afterwards can often be as difficult as treatment itself - if not even more so. This is not understood or talked about as much as it should be, leading young people to feel like they are the only one finding life after cancer just as hard.

Once their treatment has finished, they are often left with fewer friends and struggle with relationships, their education suffers, they miss out on work experience, and they develop body image issues. Late effects of being diagnosed young include infertility, extreme fatigue, osteoporosis, thyroid problems, and hearing or vision loss.

Adjusting to this ‘new normal’ can be extremely difficult, which is why when treatment ends, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s work begins.

Through the charity’s sailing and outdoor adventures, young people gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth, rediscover their independence, and feel optimistic about what comes next in life. They realise what they are capable of, stop feeling like ‘the only one’, and their mental wellbeing improves.

They start to re-establish their purpose and place in the world and believe in a brighter future.

Reflecting on the adventure, she said: “Hearing a lot of people’s stories and spending time with new people, it’s an eye-opener to show me that I’m not alone and that I need to start appreciating things more. I think about how fortunate we all are, we’ve all been through the same thing, and we’ve come out as fighters.

“We’ve had meals that I’ve never tried before. There’s been people that I never thought I would talk to, who have come out of their shell. There has been a lot of wildlife. Even steering a boat has made me the happiest person alive because I never thought I could a steer boat before.

“Now I feel as if there are a lot more opportunities out there. If I’m given an opportunity, I’m going to go for it. I want to say yes to everything now.

“I’m an outgoing person, I’m so proud of myself. I feel really strong, and nothing can stop me from doing what I want to do. That’s always been me.”

Founder and Patron of the charity, Dame Ellen MacArthur, said: “We see it time and time again. Young people arrive anxious and isolated. But they leave feeling part of something, accepted, independent, and optimistic.

“We are only able to support as many young people as we do thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Because of them, thousands of young lives have been transformed after cancer through life-changing sailing and outdoor activity adventures.

“This summer we will welcome hundreds of young people from right across the UK who need post-treatment support. We will be there for them and they will believe in a brighter future.”

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is there for anyone looking for support, no matter how long off treatment they are. Visit ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org or follow @emctrust on social media.