Team Sarcoma 2007

Article copied from Sarcoma UK newsletter

On the weekend of the 13th-15th July, the first Team Sarcoma UK event was held in Torquay.

Over 60 patients, carers and family members were involved in the event, which combined walks around the area with the opportunity for those affected by Sarcoma to meet and share their experiences.

After an introductory dinner on Friday night, the activities commenced on Saturday morning with a walk along the Agatha Christie Mile and the chance to explore Torquay.

In the afternoon we walked as a group to Cockington Country Park for cream teas and a look at the various craft workshops. We were lucky to have a beautiful afternoon, as well as a conveniently scheduled game of cricket on the lawns to add to the atmosphere of a summer’s day.

Unfortunately the weather was not so kind for the main walk on Sunday, but it did not manage to deter anyone from taking part! 36 people set out for the full 8.5 mile walk from Brixham to Torquay, joined by a further 24 people mid-way at Goodrington, where we stopped for a photo call with the local press before the final stretch.There was a great team atmosphere, with even those who were not able to take part in the walk coming to cheer the walkers on. Somewhat exhausted, we gathered back at the hotel for a final dinner, and some fun with quizzes and presentations.

Team Sarcoma events took place around the world on the same weekend. The UK event was organised by Sarcoma UK and Brian Lewis, who lives in Torquay with his wife Debbie, a sarcoma patient. Brian was extremely pleased with how it went.“When we first started discussing the idea of an event I thought that if we had 10 or even 20 people attend, that would be a great first event, so to have around 60 people taking part in various parts of the weekend was fantastic. The real success for me was the first night. I was slightly anxious about how people would get along with others they’d never met before, but all these worries disappeared very quickly as people started arriving and chatting as if they had known each other for years.”

The event raised over 4000 for The Sarcoma Trust through sponsorship and donations. More importantly, many patients were able meet and spend time talking about their experiences. This was the real success of the weekend for Debbie Lewis, “I enjoyed the fact that people were so friendly and very supportive of each other. The sharing of stories helped me to feel that I was not alone in what I have been through.”

View from the Front Line of Team Sarcoma

By Peter Jay

(from an original email sent by Peter to the Sarcoma Mailtalk email list)

I just have to tell you about Torquay. The organisers, Brian and Debbie Lewis, together with our amazing Roger and his gorgeous daughter Flora (with background help from his wife Sheelagh) really pulled it off. For those who could not make Torquay can I just try to put some of it on here so that those who were unfortunate to miss it will, hopefully, pick up on some of the atmosphere of it all.

You need to remember that most people had never met each other before. Most people had been through(and many were either still going through or about to go through) the nightmare that is sarcoma.

Within hours of arriving at the hotel we were all in a room for a buffet dinner seated at largeround tables. Within no time at all it seemed we had all known each other for years - there was a warmth and friendliness that seemed totally out of place in a room full of enormous horror stories lurking in the background. We just bonded instantly and I lost count of the number of people who said to me "I can't believe this". We ate, drank and talked till late. The children that came were just perfect - all happy, well behaved and great fun to be with. The young, the old, black and white, gay and straight, patients and carers all reacted as if they were part of a very close family.

I just cannot explain it any better. There were no awkward moments - but there were some emotional moments. You cannot escape those and I wouldn't want to anyway. Saturday was organised for those who wanted to stay local whilst others trotted off to do their own thing. More bonding and talking took place on Saturday evening and then, on Sunday, was the big event. Some of those who completed the eight miles were amazing - I wimped out by taking the shorter route!

Being totally chuffed with ourselves we went into the buffet dinner that night on a high. Roger and Brian had organised a quiz night. The main competition was won bya team calling themselves the 'Veggie Table" and I can't work out how it was that so many know-alls managed to seat themselves at the same table!! I'm proud to say, Di, that I won one of your delightful cards - thank you for donating these. Oh, and Shirley, thank you from everyone for the 'Shirls' - ribbons we all wore for the weekend.

It concluded with endless requests for this to be repeated - we will do it, for sure. I won't forget this one, I met some truly amazing people.

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Pictures of Team Sarcoma 2007