A man from who went through the trauma of having implants stapled to the back of his eye ball has thanked a local cancer charity for its support. 

Ed Duckett from Burton-in-Kendal was diagnosed with an aggressive tumour in his eye.

After noticing a change in his vision and deciding to go for an eye test, the optician referred him to the specialist eye unit at Royal Liverpool Hospital. There, he underwent a complex set of procedures which involved stapling implants to the back of his eyeball and proton therapy.

The tumour was successfully treated and Ed threw himself back into his busy life as a family man, with his wife Amy and two young boys. He also returned to work as the Managing Director of family firm Duckett Building Services managing a team of around 30 employees.

As is often common following cancer diagnosis and treatment, Ed initially thought he was over what he had experienced, but the after-effects of what he had been through soon became apparent.

He said: "I became very stressed out and was bottling up how I was feeling. I hadn’t realised how much the shock of the diagnosis had affected me and around the first anniversary of my operation I had an anxiety attack and had to call the paramedics."

Ed also began to struggle to cope at work and realised he needed some extra support. Following a recommendation from Amy and his sister-in-law, he reached out to charity CancerCare after learning about its support services for people affected by cancer and bereavement.

He was referred for counselling with professional therapist Sue Rowe at the charity’s Slynedales Centre in Lancaster.

"At first it felt wrong. Wanting to sit and talk about myself," Ed said, "as I am usually the sort of person who likes to look after everyone else first, but it was absolutely the best thing I could have done.

"Sue has been incredible and has helped me unpack things I didn’t even realise needed unpacking.

"The sessions are my safe place where I can really talk about things without worrying. Sometimes I come with a plan of what I want to talk about and sometimes it’s a total brain-dump and the conversation goes in all different directions. 

"Whatever we discuss I know I’ll always come away bouncing."

The Westmorland Gazette: Slynesdales Centre in Lancaster where Ed sought treatment

Ed used the counselling as a way to 'reassess his life' and ensure he achieves a better work life balance.  He has also endeavoured to create more of an open culture at his company to ensure that his workers feel confident to talk about issues surrounding their health.

Ed added: "I really think Sue has helped make me a better person. I would recommend anyone in a similar situation to ask for the help you need. For me it felt almost like an MOT which has made a huge difference to my life but unless I had made that first step, I never would have known."

To find out more about CancerCare services visit cancercare.org.uk.