A young Aberdeenshire cancer survivor was given a chance to regain her confidence by setting sail thanks to a national cancer charity.
Jordan Ramsay was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in May last year.
The 22-year-old from Peterhead was able to enjoy four days sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust in Largs last week.
She admitted that the trip has been “the perfect step forward” as she gets back to normality.
“It’s been just over a year since I was diagnosed,” she explained. “It was surgery, then treatment, and I’m not long back at work. I’ve had two months of getting back into being busy, and having a schedule.
“This break away with the trust has been a perfect continuous step, learning new skills and being around people who get what I’ve been through.”
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust inspires young people aged eight to 24 to believe in a brighter future living through, and beyond, cancer.
Many young people struggle to pick up where they left off before a diagnosis, and once treatment ends the trust helps them.
Through the trust’s sailing and outdoor activities, young people meet others who have had similar experiences – often for the first time.
They are also given the chance to rediscover independence away from home, experience an increased sense of purpose and self-worth, and begin to realise what they are capable of again.
‘I feel like I’ve got a lot more confidence’
Miss Ramsay was among 11 young people who spent last week on the water.
She said: “Going back to work, I thought, how on earth am I going to do that? After this trip, I feel like I’ve got a lot more confidence. I’ve been able to do in the last few days things I couldn’t before. It just shows you, that you can do anything.
“Being around people who get it, the experience resonates with you a lot more. Everyone came out their shell because we were all just laughing and being really open. I haven’t laughed so much in years.
“It showed how much confidence people have built over the last few days and how comfortable they feel. It was the best.”
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust was founded by the record-breaking round-the-world yachtswoman in 2003. It has helped hundreds of young people finishing their treatment over the past decade.
Dame Ellen MacArthur, the trust’s founder and patron, said: “We hear it a lot, that for many young people what happens after treatment can be as difficult as, if not even more so, than the treatment itself.
“Receiving funding from People’s Postcode Lottery has been a game-changer in enabling us to reach and have a positive impact on the lives of many hundreds of these young people over the past decade.
“We know the impact the trust has on the mental wellbeing of young people living through and beyond cancer. “
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