Last week, former Health Secretary, Sajid Javid MP visited Maggie’s West London to meet with staff and patients.
Maggie’s is a charity that provides free cancer support and information at their centres across the UK and abroad. Since the charity’s first centre opened in 1996, it has grown under the watch of CEO Dame Laura Lee from the idea of cancer-patient Maggie Keswick Jenks to an international charity operating in the UK, Spain, Japan and Hong Kong.
During his visit, Sajid Javid MP discussed the work carried out by Maggie's with Dame Laura Lee, before meeting with members of the centre’s Men’s Prostate Cancer Group.
The Bromsgrove MP said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Maggie’s West London last week. It was incredible to see the brilliant support they provide to cancer patients first hand.
The positive impact of the care that visitors receive at Maggie’s is clear to see, and I would encourage anyone who has recently received a cancer diagnosis to contact their local centre and local NHS Trusts to support these fantastic centres.”
Dame Laura Lee commented that: “It’s absolutely essential that we recognise the importance of psychological support in cancer care.
We know that 3 out of 5 people find the mental impact of diagnosis harder than the physical yet often that impact just isn’t recognised. We welcome visits from all Parliamentarians to Maggie’s to raise awareness and highlight the importance of expert practical and psychological support.
We were delighted that MP Sajid Javid took the time to visit and spend time with people with cancer and understand more about our programme of support.”
If you, or someone close to you, have recently received a cancer diagnosis - and are interested in reaching out to Maggie’s - you can find your local centre here: https://www.maggies.org/our-centres/
