Hope in Hard Times is a collection of resources to help and encourage those who are dealing with difficult circumstances of all kinds. As it develops, I hope that it will become the website which I would have liked to find when I was diagnosed with cancer in January 2012. The web offers a great deal of practical information, but there is relatively little help in dealing with the emotional impact of such a life-changing event. Some of the materials may not appeal to you - I suspect that not everyone would turn to philosophy in hard times, for example - but I hope that everyone who visits will be able to find something of use. Of course, none of the resources or links offered are intended as a substitute for appropriate professional advice.
One thing - among many - which I have learned from my own experience is that 'being positive' doesn't mean that we must try to believe that a bad situation is really good; rather, it means trying to find and focus on good things, despite the difficult circumstances. In other words, 'Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass ... It's about learning to dance in the rain' (Vivian Greene). This website is my dance in the rain.
Whatever your circumstances, I wish you all the very best.
Elizabeth Burns
I would like to acknowledge with grateful thanks the help and support of many family members and friends, as well as the Oncology staff at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and the Cambridge Cancer Help Centre, without which the creation of this website would not have been possible.
One thing - among many - which I have learned from my own experience is that 'being positive' doesn't mean that we must try to believe that a bad situation is really good; rather, it means trying to find and focus on good things, despite the difficult circumstances. In other words, 'Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass ... It's about learning to dance in the rain' (Vivian Greene). This website is my dance in the rain.
Whatever your circumstances, I wish you all the very best.
Elizabeth Burns
I would like to acknowledge with grateful thanks the help and support of many family members and friends, as well as the Oncology staff at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and the Cambridge Cancer Help Centre, without which the creation of this website would not have been possible.