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A three-year-old is diagnosed with a brain tumour and loses his sight, a family’s world tilts, and somehow the ward becomes a place where breakfast can be unicorn toast and music therapy softens the edges. We sit with Natalie from Candlelighters and Amy, mum to Noah, to unpack what true wraparound support looks like when a child is diagnosed with cancer—and why it changes everything.

From the first hours after diagnosis, Candlelighters meets families where the system can’t. We talk through immediate grants that cover the sudden spike in costs—travel to Leeds, parking, meals, clothes that work with lines and dressings—so parents can stay bedside without financial panic. Natalie explains how the team brings play, colour, and calm into clinical spaces; funds roles like youth support workers and counsellors; and creates safe havens such as the Pavilion and the Square to restore a sense of normal. Amy shares the whirlwind of Noah’s treatment on Ward 31, the grief of first milestones after therapy, and the quiet power of a voice her son could trust when he could no longer see faces.

We also explore what happens after the bell rings. Talking therapies help parents and young people process trauma on their timeline, while mums’ and dads’ groups, sibling sessions, and family events build a peer community that understands without explanation. The Cottage keeps families together when distance would split them. Volunteers and donors fuel it all—local companies, football fans, and everyday fundraisers turning empathy into guitars at the bedside, breakfast that a child will actually eat, and a place to breathe between scans.

If this episode moved you, help us spread the word: subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who cares about children’s health and family wellbeing. Want to make an impact today? Visit Candlelighters to donate, volunteer, or start a fundraiser—and tell us how you plan to get involved.

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Some stories arrive as a whisper and land like a bell. Carol joins us to share how she moved through the aftermath of sexual assault and years of domestic abuse—not with a single breakthrough, but with steady steps, messy courage, and tools that actually work. Her turning point wasn’t dramatic; it was a decision to try a mindset workshop where a coach listened without judgment and offered a path forward. From there, she learned to reframe painful memories, name patterns she once normalised, and create daily anchors that made life feel possible again.

We explore the homework that mattered—like burning a cruel letter to mark a boundary—and the skills that stuck, including a simple pattern interrupt that halted panic in its tracks: “Stop talking shit. What’s the truth?” Carol talks about timeline work that surfaced the hidden toll of control and gaslighting, and how gratitude doesn’t excuse harm but can change what an event means for your future. We trace her small wins: daily walks, mindful eating, and journaling that turned into published poetry. She even returned to the city where she was assaulted, this time supported, reclaiming ground one step at a time.

The conversation expands into service and self: launching FLARE (Life After Rape Exists) as a peer space for those not ready for therapy, and starting a baking venture and cooking group to reclaim a kitchen once used to shame her. Setbacks still happen—flashbacks, false starts, hard days—but Carol shows how compassion and repetition build strength. If you’re navigating trauma, PTSD, or recovery from abuse, you’ll leave with language, tools, and proof that a thriving life is built from small, honest choices.

If this moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find it. Your story—and your next step—matter.

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Youtube: "I thought I deserved cancer" with Carol

If you have been affected by any of the topics mentioned in this podcast and need professional help or advice, the helplines listed below are available -

UK Sexual & Domestic Abuse – Key Helplines & Support
Emergency (Immediate Danger)
•⁠ ⁠Call 999 (ask for the police)
•⁠ ⁠If unable to speak: call 999 and press 55 on mobile
National Support (England)
•⁠ ⁠National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (24/7)
•⁠ ⁠Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 0327
•⁠ ⁠Rape Crisis England & Wales: 0808 802 9999
Regional Helplines
•⁠ ⁠Scotland – Domestic Abuse & Forced Marriage Helpline: 0800 027 1234
•⁠ ⁠Wales – Live Fear Free Helpline: 0808 80 10 800
•⁠ ⁠Northern Ireland – Domestic & Sexual Abuse Helpline: 0808 802 141

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A trophy on the table can’t soften the moment Chris admits he once sat under a tree with a rope. What follows is a frank, energising journey from lost purpose to a coastline walk that rebuilt his mind, his daily habits, and his mission to help other men speak before they break. We talk about how policy changes and a forced sale stripped meaning from two decades of work with excluded teens, how lockdown isolation compounded the fallout, and how phone-based counselling from the Masonic Charitable Foundation handed him tools for rumination, grounding, and mindful attention that actually stuck.

Then the choice that changed everything: a 6,500-mile walk around Great Britain. No deadlines. No fixed plan. Just the sea to the right, a tent on his back, and long winter nights to read and listen. Chris shares the practical wins: breath work from James Nestor’s Breath, insights from The Body Keeps the Score and Lost Connections, and the way nature lowers cortisol and reframes problems. He’s honest about the lows—soaked gear, short light, and the crash after company—but the highlight is people. Strangers fed him, housed him, and shared hidden stories of suicide and survival that rarely surface until stigma drops.

We dig into simple tools for men’s mental health that don’t require a diagnosis: nasal breathing and longer exhales to downshift the nervous system, micro-mindfulness to halt spirals, movement as a pressure release, and the habit of naming what you feel. Chris also raised over £90,000 for the Masonic Charitable Foundation, found a new voice as a speaker, and is writing a book to translate dense psychology into clear, usable steps for guys who think they’re fine—until they’re not.

If this story lands with you, share it with someone who could use a way back to themselves. And if you’re new here, follow the show, leave a review, and tell us which practice you’re trying this week. Your feedback helps more people find real conversations that change lives.

Chris Jones Website

Chris Jones LinkedIn

Masonic Charitable Foundation

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