Support
With any serious diagnosis, it becomes a daunting prospect to have to then seek support and the right kind of help, especially when we don’t know what support is available, or even what we might need.
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This section should provide you with a simple guide to the kinds of support available and how to access them.
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In very simple terms, we talk about the support OOSO provides and the services that are available within Hospitals, using the Churchill Hospital in Oxford as our example. OOSO also provides some useful Wellbeing tips and examples, and a section signposting you to helpful resources that we know are important but cannot provide ourselves.
An outline the range of medical and surgical services provided by the Churchill Hospital
Useful Resources
In addition to the information booklets (see link above) the following external sites provide additional resources:
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Maggie's – A cancer care charity that offers the best possible support free to anyone with cancer and their families who walk through their doors. Provides drop-in centres alongside NHS hospitals and online support, including Maggie's at Oxford
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Macmillan Cancer Support – provides support (including an online community) and information for all types of cancer and its treatment.
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Oesophageal Patients Association Cancer charity - A cancer charity that fights against oesophageal and gastric cancers, raising awareness about the dangers of persistent heartburn, Barrett’s oesophagus and acid reflux (GORD), and provides free support and guidance to patients, caregivers and their families.
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Heartburn Cancer UK– Whose aim is to raise awareness about the dangers of persistent heartburn, GORD and Barrett’s oesophagus which can lead to more serious conditions such as oesophageal cancer.
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Barrett's UK- a patient support charity for anyone affected by Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal cancer based in the south of England.
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The GUTSY oesophageal support group for the Chester, Wirral and North Wales areas
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Ochre – A Glasgow based charity that aims to: a) promote awareness of oesophageal cancer; b) provide support and funding for research to develop new and appropriate methods of prevention and early detection of oesophageal cancer; and c) develop support services for patients and their families to help them cope with difficulties arising from the tumour and its treatment.
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The Churchill (Oxford University) Hospital (ouh.nhs.uk)