Why Phil decided to leave a gift in his Will to Penny Brohn UK
Phil, who lives in Bristol made the important decision to write a Will through Penny Brohn UK’s will writing service. We spoke to Phil about why he’s decided to leave a gift in his Will to Penny Brohn UK.
Why did you decide to leave a gift to Penny Brohn UK?
I knew I needed to make the important decision and write my Will, at the time Penny Brohn UK were offering a will writing service and that encouraged me to do it.
My first brush with cancer was in 2016 when a tumour was found in my neck. Then 2 years later, through a routine blood test I was eventually diagnosed with prostate cancer. After all the numerous scans and consultations, I was advised to have surgery or radiotherapy. My first experience with surgery, in 2016, was not great, so this time I made the decision and opted for radiotherapy.
If you or someone you love has had a cancer diagnosis, you will know that cancer really does make you reflect and re-evaluate your life, how you live it and what your priorities are. As a result, following my initial diagnosis in 2016, I decided to retire. My second stint with cancer really hit me for six, this time around it impacted me emotionally.
It was at this time that I found Penny Brohn UK. In 2018, I knew a couple of friends who had used the charity. I heard about them for years, but I never had any personal experience of it. I never expected that in my life, I would need to use their cancer services. Shortly after, I went to visit their National Centre in Pill.
They had such a wide range of services on offer and during my time with Penny Brohn UK I signed up to everything from tai chi classes to nutrition and cooking support and meditation sessions to one-to-one doctor support. I used their in-person services right up to 2019, when the pandemic hit. During multiple lockdowns, they continued to support me. Specifically, the online meditation classes helped with my feelings of being both physically isolated and emotionally isolated with my cancer.
I truly believe that the support through Penny Brohn UK, made me recover quicker during and after my treatment, not just physically but also emotionally.
Essentially, they had given me support when I needed it most and I wanted to give something back. Back in 2018, the charity had a local will writing service, and when faced with possible mortality, you think you need a Will as soon as possible. Leaving something in my Will is my way for saying thank you!
From my experience, there is huge value in both the charity’s in-person and online service. With the nature of cancer often people are and feel vulnerable and can be nervous meeting face-to-face – so an online service with the opportunity to join face-to-face is fab!
What impact would you like your legacy to have?
Fast forward to present day, and I just had another test which revealed I am cancer free and no longer need their services. But, I would like to see other people, long into the future, who are living with cancer get the support that helped me so much. I know there isn’t always enough money or resources out there and I don’t want Penny Brohn UK to ever have to turn people away.
We’d like to thank Phil for sharing their experience. The words used are preferred by Phil. Penny Brohn UK encourages everyone to use their own words to tell their story. If you have any questions about any of the language used, please email comms@pennybrohn.org.uk.