Together In The Same Boat

After young people have come sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, they often say the same thing: ‘we’re all in the same boat’. It is a brilliant pun that never gets old, but there is a lot more to it than just physically sharing a space on board the charity’s yachts.

Cancer is an isolating illness, especially as a young person. At a time of their lives when they are discovering who they are, everything goes on hold, friends leave them behind, their studies suffer, and how they feel towards their own body can be negatively affected.

When faced with something as scary as a cancer diagnosis, even a young person’s identity can take a back seat too. The lifestyles they long to lead and the communities they wish to be a part of are out of reach.

That is why the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, which inspires young people aged 8-24 to believe in a brighter future living through and beyond cancer, knows being given the ‘all clear’ after treatment ends does not mean everything goes back to normal. Their new normal is unfamiliar, and most of their friends and families cannot relate to what they have been through.

So, when young people say they are all ‘in the same boat’ while sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, what do they mean? Besides all being part of a young crew, living and sleeping on and learning how to sail 45ft yachts, of course.

Not alone

For 15-year-old Libby, diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021, it was simple: “I’ve learned I’m not alone here.”

Set to enjoy her third sailing adventure this summer, she said: “There are people here who have been through similar things, and they know how it is. At home, there are people you can’t relate to. I’d been struggling in school with speaking up in class, and the confidence boost from sailing has really helped me with that and to talk about things more.”

The same is true for 22-year-old Omar. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2016 but found talking about it impossible. He said: “Male friends don’t really sit down and have long conversations about what they’re going through. We don’t talk about the issue, we just make jokes and have a laugh about it. At the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, there’s more to it. You get to talk and to open up.”

For Libby, Omar, and hundreds more young people, it is the first time they have felt understood. Accepted. Relaxed. Able to talk openly about their experience with others who ‘get it’. Free of the pressure to tiptoe around the subject for fear of upsetting others.

This is why Dame Ellen MacArthur says her cancer trust is not about sailing, but that sailing is the perfect vehicle for the magic that happens on board. It’s what the camaraderie leads to that inspires young people to believe in a brighter future.

“It’s been really cathartic,” said 26-year-old Jessica, who also had leukaemia. “During my treatment, I never met people my own age who’ve been through the same experience. I wanted to connect with people, and I have.

“We’re literally all in the same boat.”

I could be myself

The feeling that everyone is in this together is what led Lauren to discover more about herself. Now 27 years old, and a volunteer for the charity, she was first supported in 2014 after being diagnosed with metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma – a type of soft tissue tumour.

She said: “When I was going through treatment, the last thing I was thinking about was my own personal life, my sexuality, boyfriends, girlfriends, which all my friends were doing at the time.

“I didn’t come out until I was 19 or 20, and the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust helped me know who I was as a person because I could be myself. I didn’t have to pretend that I didn’t have cancer, or I wasn’t gay, I could just be me and that was great.”

According to research carried out by Young Lives vs Cancer, 70% of young people with cancer experience depression during treatment, 90% have anxiety, and 83% feel lonely. That is why bringing them together is vital: not only do they share an experience of cancer, but they have all faced other challenging hurdles during and after treatment. To all be in the same boat means to look around and realise everyone knows what that is like.

And it works. Even at just 9 years old, Fergus, who was also diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said: “We were only together for four days and we all felt like friends instantly.” Sailing is fun and exciting. For many young people supported by the charity, joy has been missing in their lives too, and together is how they rediscover it.

Speaking about the first time she stepped foot on a boat, Dame Ellen said: “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 have been through.”

Which sums up ‘in the same boat’ perfectly. The sea is the perfect setting. After cancer, sailing with other young people is freedom, connection, and a chance to rediscover life – together.

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.