A Summer to Remember

“Cancer is so serious, and so are hospitals and all the conversations about being unwell. Sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and having a laugh with everyone, having fun again, it’s just really nice.”

When Amber, 25, said this earlier in the summer, she summed up how hundreds of young people feel at the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust every year. They trade the medicine, the appointments, and the hospitals, for new friends, hilarious memories, and the return of joy.

The charity invites young people aged 8-24(ish) who have finished their cancer treatment on sailing and outdoor adventures. On these sailing trips, they meet others who have been through something similar to what they’ve been through, often for the first time.

Cancer affects more than just their physical health. It is isolating, it affects their mental wellbeing, and it sets them back in their education and their careers.

But we often forget it also affects something lots of us take for granted: having fun.

‘Happiest person alive’

What better vehicle to rediscover that than a yacht? Readers of this magazine will know how it feels to be out on the water. The freedom it brings, the peace of being at sea, the thrill of catching the wind.

Most of the young people supported by the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust will never have sailed before. Some may never have even been to the coast. It is outside of their comfort zone and an entirely new experience.

When Katie Jo, 18, spent five days sailing around the Firth of Clyde with the charity, she said she felt like the ‘happiest person alive’. She never thought she’d be able to steer a boat, she had never seen seals, porpoises or minke whales before, and, for the first time, she met someone else who’d had a brain tumour – her ‘tumour twin’.

Before, she would sit in her bedroom upset about not knowing anyone else like her. Now, she describes herself as being ‘literally the most outgoing person’ and feels able to take on whatever life throws at her. She says she is proud of herself.

A brighter life

There are many benefits to sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. Young people gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth, they rediscover their independence, they realise what they are capable of. They feel inspired to believe in a brighter future.

A lot of that comes from the fun they have on board. After Shaheed, 25, came on his first trip, he felt calmer and friendlier, ‘a generally better person to be around’. His mood spread, touching his family and his work, and ‘life just seemed a lot brighter than it used to be’.

Describing his second trip, it is a list of all the things that brought him joy: a boat-to-boat water fight, gliding through the water with the wind in the sails, helming, joking with his crew, the peace when the sea is still. An adventure lasting a matter of days has changed his entire life for the better.

That’s why Dame Ellen MacArthur set the charity up in the first place.

She said: “I’ll never forget the excitement I felt when I stepped foot on a boat for the first time. I completely fell in love with the freedom and feeling of connectedness the sea provides. Sailing gives everyone the chance to find out what they are capable of alongside others who completely understand what they’ve been through.”

Not only do they find out, but they have so much fun doing so. After everything they have been through, no one deserves it more.

Support to WIN

WIN this stunning painting in the EMCT exclusive raffle

You could win an exclusive painting all while supporting young cancer survivors! Enter the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s £10 raffle to be in with the chance of winning a stunning piece by marine artist Summer Jane, worth almost £3,000. Your money goes towards inspiring brighter futures in young people after their treatment ends. Scan the QR code to take part and make a difference.

For more information visit ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org

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Ancasta Supports The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

For every new boat sold, Ancasta donates the cost for one young person to enjoy a transformational four-day sailing voyage with the Trust. This enables more young people to benefit from the after cancer support that EMCT provides.