Sarah* had a wide circle of friends, but after her cancer diagnosis, she felt more isolated than she ever had before.

As much as her friends cared, none of them had actually been through what she was going through. What changed things wasn’t a treatment or a specialist. It was Choices. Through the Centre’s Brisbane dropin centre, Sarah found accurate information when she needed it most and — just as importantly — other people who understood a cancer diagnosis from the inside.

She started attending support programs in person and today describes Choices as a safe place: somewhere she can go to talk through whatever’s on her mind with people who simply get it. Not everyone finds Choices the same way. A woman from Hervey Bay found it online, distressed after a recent diagnosis and unsure who to call.

A conversation with the team — people like Siobhan Burgess, Clinical Nurse Consultant at Choices, who provides emotional and psychosocial support to people affected by cancer and their loved ones — gave her the information she needed and connected her to the right specialists and supports. Months later, she reached out again, just to say that one phone call had made a real difference to her recovery.

“The patients remind me each day how important it is living life to the fullest and embracing the unknowns,” Siobhan says.

One of Siobhan’s most memorable moments was taking a young patient and her mum on a special day out to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary — a simple experience that brought immense joy and lasting memories. For Siobhan, the privilege of listening to people’s life stories is what carries her through even the toughest days.

Choices exists, and stays free for every person who walks through its doors, because of supporters like you. Thank you for making sure that when someone feels as alone as Sarah did, there’s somewhere — and someone — for them to turn to.

*Name changed for privacy.