I chat with Matt Black, a chartered surveyor from London, father of two and colon cancer survivor.  

Matt now campaigns to encourage everyone, especially head-in-the-sand middle-aged men, to regularly check themselves and be aware of the early warning signs.   

We talk about the frightening and lonely experience of being diagnosed and urgently operated at 2am during the early days of Covid.   And then in the days after his life saving surgery, having mixed emotions about being grateful for dodging a bullet, but also the unenviable challenge of having no in person contact with his wife, and those close to him.  And the toll it took on them as well as him.

It’s a revealing and raw story of how Matt, and his family experienced help during those unprecedented lockdown times.   And how it’s the partners and close family of patients that also need help during these critical times, and how they too can often be resistant to accepting and asking for help. 

Other themes we discuss include:

• Talking openly about your challenges and emotions massively helps not only yourself but also can make it easier for others to do the same.  And others to help you.
• If your partner tells you there's something wrong with you, listen, accept what they're saying and go and deal with it.
• It's self-preservation to reach out and look for and accept help.
• Even if you’re uncomfortable or don’t know what to say to someone who’s sick or grieving, a reach out to say thinking of you makes a huge difference. 
• Most people want want to help and do so with the best intention. And it's 2-way - you benefit from it,, and  the person offering help benefits from it as well. 

You can contact me on:
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