Hello - is it too soon to say Merry Christmas? Thanks for visiting our Christmas Cheer fundraising page. This December, we're hoping to raise enough funds to cover the cost of keeping our doors open for the rest of 2018. We want to give local people the care they deserve, but we can't do that without your support and generosity.

Christmas can be incredibly difficult when you or a loved one is facing cancer. It can be hard to feel much Christmas cheer when you or a loved one is poorly, or if you've lost someone to cancer. Cavendish is here to help people through that. But we need YOU to help provide this support, spreading cheer and goodwill to everyone who needs it.

At Cavendish Cancer Care, we see anyone and everyone affected by a cancer diagnosis. We support the whole family: patients, carers, partners, parents...we even offer specialist services for children. We provide individualised packages of care to alleviate the physical and psychological effects a cancer diagnosis and its treatment can have.

Join us this December in raising funds or donate today. We're hoping to raise £66,000, which will keep our doors open until your Christmas tree comes down in January. With your help, no one will face cancer alone this Christmas.

Michael's Story

Michael was diagnosed with prostate cancer aged 52; after starting treatment seven months ago he was supported by Cavendish Cancer Care through sessions of counselling. Although his treatment is ongoing he feels that Cavendish helped him get his confidence back.

The people at Cavendish were lovely, warm and inviting; it was like a haven from home. They made me feel comfortable and they are just genuinely friendly people with no hidden agenda.

Before I came to Cavendish, I was depressed. I was really struggling. The problem is you can't see cancer, you just go out and do what you normally do, your colleagues think you're okay because you're there but then you get back home and cry in the shower. I was worried about talking to my wife who had lost her mum to cancer; I didn't want to put all my anxiety and stress on her. My therapist, John, helped me to communicate. After a session, I felt like I could take on the world. I could hold my head up high and go out there and face anything. My condition hasn't changed, but my mind-set has.

Cavendish gave me a lot more confidence and made me a stronger person through self-belief. But it has also helped my wife because I can talk to her a lot more easily. I know that if the situation changes the doors are open for me or for my wife if she needs to go and talk to them, and it doesn't have to be now, it could be a year down the line. Even that gives me reassurance: I know I can always come back or make a phone call.

You can read more stories at cavcare.org.uk/news/stories.