I’d always planned to retire in my fifties. After being a headteacher for the previous 14 years, I finally did it at 54 years old. It should have been a happy time, but three weeks after I retired, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was still relatively young and had never had any serious illnesses before, so you can imagine how devastating it was. As I was undergoing the full gambit of treatment, things took a turn for the worse as my husband also became ill. Sadly, he passed away.

I was luckier, they had caught my cancer quite early on and, unusually, were able to do both a mastectomy and reconstruction in one operation. I continued for nine months on chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as ten years of tablets after, and, touch wood, that’s all worked and I’m ok now 16 years on from the original diagnosis.

It was about a year into my treatment that the breast nurse asked me if I would run the Sunshine Group for the Liverpool hospitals. It was a support group for breast cancer patients started thirty years ago by nurses, but they were struggling to find time to operate it. There were five or six patients that were in the group who would just come in for a coffee and that was it. Nine out of ten times the nurses would have to cancel those meetings anyway.

“Last year, we were even recognised with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is the highest award possible for local volunteering groups in the UK.”

Ann Coffey, chair, The Sunshine Group

My Master’s degree is in Business and Leadership so I said yes, so long as I could run it how I’d run a business. Now, there are over 550 in the group, we have our own rooms at Aintree Hospital to deliver holistic cancer therapies to patients and, last year, we were even recognised with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is the highest award possible for local volunteering groups in the UK.

The idea of our group is to raise money to address the social, emotional and psychological side of the disease. Because you still need to live. But you also need to be with people who know what it’s like. If you haven’t got cancer or ever had it, or God forbid it ever happens, you’ve got no idea what it’s like. You don’t know the thoughts that go through your mind, if you’re not feeling well, you’re wondering “is that the cancer coming back?” In our group we can all discuss it. It’s a group you don’t want to be in, but you’re glad you’re in it.

“ It’s a group you don’t want to be in, but you’re glad you’re in it.”

Ann Coffey, chair, The Sunshine Group

So, we raise money to enjoy ourselves, but also raise money for the clinics to buy things for the patients on the cancer journey that the NHS funding will not allow. In both clinics we’ve done out both treatment rooms so they look like your lounge at home. We buy more of the mammogram capes so they don’t look like the army surplus green, they’ve got flowers on.

Basically, whatever they need and whatever we can do to support patients.

When I heard about the SupportBelt that had been designed in America by Ford, I had the great idea that this could be something to give the ladies in our group. I immediately went to Pat, the charity manager at the Liverpool University Hospital Trust, and convinced them to accept the initiative for our group. Being able to drive to get to work or take the children to school can be a real problem, because it can actually be really painful, and for some women it’s unavoidable as they’re on their own and have to keep working or doing the school runs.

I know some who hold the seat belt away from them while driving. We actually give these little pillows out to put under their arm to be more comfortable in bed or when watching TV, and I know that some of them use these while driving.

Further Sunshine Group members who have tried out the SupportBelt include Louise, Patricia and Carol:

I discovered my lump while teaching my son how to check for breast cancer. Diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer, I faced surgeries and radiotherapy. The Sunshine Group became my lifeline, offering advice and tools like Ford’s SupportBelt, which makes driving comfortable, despite lingering side effects. After losing my husband during my diagnosis, I honour his wish to “live my best life” by embracing family, connection, and helping others on their journeys.

LouisePatriciaCarol

So, we’ve now got 63 of these SupportBelts from Ford. We actually handed out about 40 of them at the event and we’ll hold onto the rest for new patients and work it like a library; where you give it back after a certain amount of time for the next person.

I, and a few others, have actually tried these out already and they’re brilliant. You know, because even now I can feel pain on my right side, especially if I’m ever unwell. Even when it’s very cold, the silicon and muscle contract at different rates which puts a lot of pressure around there. I know others have liked using it too and I can’t wait to keep supporting more women with them.

Ann Coffey runs the Sunshine Group alongside a team of volunteers, all of whom are breast cancer survivors. The group supports patients from Liverpool’s Aintree and Royal Hospitals.