Changing cancer care doesn’t happen at an awards ceremony. The real work continues when the applause stops.
It happens in the conversations afterwards.
In the communities we build.
In the people we refuse to give up on.
In the ideas we’re brave enough to explore.
In the hope we keep alive when things feel hopeless.
The awards are lovely.
But Monday is why we do it.
There is something wonderfully affirming about having the work you pour your heart into recognised by other people – and when it’s those you admire? That’s another level of contentment.
On Friday evening we were runners-up for the wonderful Yes to Life Integrative Cancer Care Charity’s Community Partner Award.
The Alliance for Natural Health were incredibly worthy winners.
Awards matter. Recognition matters. Being told that the work you are doing matters matters.
And then came Saturday’s sold-out conference.
And I was reminded that the awards are not the real reason we do any of this.
The real reason was there sitting in a room full of people talking about how we can improve cancer outcomes – and helping them do just that.
Dr David Hamilton shared the science behind kindness.
Adriano dos Santos talked about the WHO’s official recognition of the importance of sleep.
Dr Anna Jones explored faith.
Dr Leo Pruimboom challenged the idea that mind and body are separate.
James Maskell talked about belonging:
Dr Nasha Winters shared how she outlived a three-month prognosis she received at just 19.
And four extraordinary men with terminal cancer shared stories of becoming NED – No Evidence of Disease.
There were ECAPs; Exceptional Cancer Patients.
There were clinicians.
There were researchers.
There were advocates.
There were people living with cancer.
People who had lived through it.
People supporting someone they loved.
And people simply asking a very important question:
How can we do this better?
I met Julia Bradbury, whose own experience of breast cancer, shortly after my own, has become part of the reason she now uses her platform to encourage others. (Her book ‘Hack Yourself Healthy’ is also on offer at 99p on Kindle UK).
Dr Nasha Winters broke me open and went on to receive a standing ovation after sharing her story with extraordinary honesty.
I caught up with Dawn Waldron, whose Fluxable Substack continues to challenge conventional thinking about medicine.
And I listened to James Maskell talk about something that sounds incredibly simple but may be one of the most important pieces of the puzzle:
Belonging.
Perhaps that’s one of the things we forget in modern healthcare.
People don’t just need treatment.
They need people.
Because cancer doesn’t just happen to a body.
It happens to a person.
And people need more than protocols.
They need connection.
They need community.
They need sleep.
They need kindness.
They need meaning.
They need hope.
They need somewhere to belong.
Which brings me back to Monday.
Because Monday is when the award goes on the shelf.
Monday is when the applause stops.
Monday is when the social media posts disappear down the feed.
Monday is when the real work starts again.
And that’s the bit I love:
We go back to encouraging.
Back to supporting.
Back to connecting people.
Back to asking difficult questions.
Back to challenging assumptions.
Back to working together.
Back to trying to change the face of cancer care.
Perhaps success isn’t really the moment when someone hands you an award.
Perhaps it’s what you do on Monday.
When nobody is applauding.
When there is no stage.
When there are no cameras.
When it’s just you, the work, and the people who need you to keep going.
That’s Monday.
And we’ll be there.
‘Til next time, Denise
Discover more from Double-zero
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
A good music lookup tool should accommodate imperfect clues rather than require a clean recording or exact lyrics. With song recognition, a short hummed melody, a whistle, a vocal attempt, or an existing audio clip can all become starting points for candidate matches. Presenting several likely results is especially helpful because people often remember the melody more reliably than the title.