Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Dame Ellen MacArthur's cancer charity for young people celebrates biggest summer yet

by Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust 28 Sep 2024 03:17 PDT
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust celebrates biggest summer yet © Martin Allen Photography

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is celebrating its biggest summer yet, after supporting 671 young cancer survivors nationwide.

Hundreds of young people sailed out of East Cowes Marina and Largs Marina between May and September as part of a programme of 4- and 5-day sailing adventures that inspire young people living through and beyond cancer to believe in a brighter future.

Twenty-year-old Sophie Williamson, 20, joined one of these transformational trips in July, after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021.

She said: "I came out of treatment, and I had a couple of months, then I got sepsis from Covid. So, I couldn't walk or talk or do anything for myself and that was really difficult. I had to have a hospital bed at home and sleep in the living room and I was in a wheelchair.

"It took a long time to recover, but when we were out here on the boat, I was just thinking while we sat out on the deck, 'oh my God, how are we here right now?', and about how far we all must have come to be able to sail all the way from Yarmouth back to East Cowes. It was amazing. It just fills me with so much joy that I've come so far and that we've all come so far. From our treatment and our recovery. It made me feel really grateful to be alive and to be here."

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.

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

Reflecting on her sailing adventure, Sophie said: "Treatment is hard, and you're stuck in the hospital, or in a day unit. You're surrounded by people who are perhaps older than you. And it's so lonely.

"So being out here, in the fresh air, and not in a pressurised room, in nature, no four walls, I feel completely engaged in what I'm doing. And just being able to have an opportunity that you wouldn't have had if you hadn't had cancer, it's lovely to know that there are positives that can come out of such a horrible thing.

"It really helps build up that confidence that, you know, you can do it. Because it is quite a big thing to take on, being on a boat you don't know anything about. You've got all these different ropes, all these different things like the winch and ready on starboard, ready on port. Then you have to wrap the rope around.

"It was just such a rush doing it all. And being able to change the sails and everything. It was amazing. I just can't believe it, I was like, oh my god, I'm on a boat and I'm doing it all. It was awesome."

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.

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

Related Articles

Admiral's Cup Inshore Racing Starts
Full-throttle Inshore Warfare The opening inshore clash of the 2025 Admiral's Cup was a gritty, high-octane showdown packed with drama and razor-sharp tactics. Posted today at 9:16 pm
(More than) A Day at the Races
The UK is the place to be right now if you're a sailor The UK is the place to be right now if you're a sailor, and I don't think I've ever known a time when so many great events are happening concurrently. Posted today at 9:00 pm
Marine Auctions: July Online Auctions
Bidding to start 24th July and will end 30 July We are now accepting entries for our August Online Auction. Posted today at 8:30 pm
Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam Day 5
Pierre Mortefon storms to victory in Slalom X Pierre Mortefon storms to victory in Slalom X, while Matteo Iachino and Maciek Rutkowski complete the podium. Freestyle kicks off on Wednesday. Posted today at 7:32 pm
Were the Roos Robbed in Portsmouth?
We discuss the Race 6 Penalty with SailGP's Chief Umpire Craig Mitchell The high speed, short course action of SailGP is thrilling to watch, but inevitably causes tight situations and means the Umpires have to react quickly to decide who is right and who is wrong. Posted today at 6:43 pm
Admiral's Cup David Maynard Tuesday Photo Gallery
The first inshore races were sailed in typical Solent conditions Tuesday saw the first inshore races of the 2025 Admiral's Cup, which were sailed in typical Solent conditions, with 15 to 20 knots of South Westerly wind. Two races were held, a short and a long inshore race, using channel markers for rounding. Posted today at 5:47 pm
Performance Meets Savings For a Limited Time
Order new North Sails before July 31st to secure Trade In Trade Up preferred pricing Out with the old, in with performance. Order new sails before July 31st to secure Trade In Trade Up preferred pricing. Posted today at 3:00 pm
Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam Day 4
Sarah-Quita Offringa secures incredible 26th world title Sarah-Quita Offringa secures incredible 26th world title, while Pierre Mortefon is on verge of winning men's after claiming back-to-back bullets. Posted today at 10:45 am
Transat Café L'or calling for next destinatation
After Cartagena, Salvador de Bahia, Puerto Limon, Itajaí, and Fort-de-France After Cartagena, Salvador de Bahia, Puerto Limon, Itajaí, and Fort-de-France, the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie is now calling for applications to find a destination partner for the next editions, starting from the fall of 2027. Posted today at 10:10 am
Cape 31 Med Circuit Round 4 at Imperia overall
Stig stays steady to win again in Italy, Give Me Five tops Corinthian One Pro The Cape 31 fleet wrapped up a spectacular weekend of racing in Imperia with Alessandro Rombelli's Stig (ITA 76) claiming the overall win after nine races. This marks Stig's second Italian victory of the 2025 Cape 31 Race Circuit. Posted today at 9:32 am
PredictWind - Routing 728x90 BOTTOMSea Sure 2025Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design