Finnian encourages men who have been affected by a cancer diagnosis to contact Action Cancer and avail of its Peer Mentoring services.

It was the help of a complete stranger that inspired 25-year-old Finnian Garbutt not to give up hope after he was diagnosed with Stage 3 skin cancer.

The actor, who is originally from Bangor, but now lives in Whitehead with his fiancée Louise, first discovered a lump behind his right ear towards the end of 2020.

"Originally, I thought it was just an ingrown hair. It was not until lockdown measures eased and my barber shop reopened that I started to become concerned that something more sinister was going on.

“On shaving the right side of my head my barber noticed that the lump had grown quite substantially since the last time I had seen him...It looked like a mole that had grown abnormally.”

Finnian added: “Following a series of assessments, I then received the words that no one ever wants to hear, “you have cancer”.

"At this stage the doctors said it was a malignant melanoma but they were unsure at what stage I was at.

"My world came crashing down around me. I was 25 years old; I had my whole life and career ahead of me. I just kept thinking that I was going to die.”

Finnian said he found it really hard to share his worries and fears with family and friends.

"I would speak openly about it but felt others weren’t coping with what they were hearing from me so I bottled it all up and became a bit of a recluse as I didn’t want to burden anyone. I shared this with my health care team and they put me in touch with Action Cancer for some support."

The Peer Mentoring service at Action Cancer linked Finnian with Connor Graham, 37, a surveyor from South Belfast, one of the charity’s recently trained Peer Mentors.

Finnian said: “Connor was a complete stranger but during the first conversation we had he didn’t feel like one.

"Speaking to him helped me realise that there’s a chance I might not die from this disease and that I might just have a future to look forward to. Just then I decided, I’m not going to give up hope. One thing I’ve learnt from being unwell and being around people who have cancer, or have had cancer, is that there is an unspoken camaraderie.

"I’ve been truly honest with Connor and, because he had been through something similar, I knew he understood fully everything that I was expressing and this was an amazing help to me.

“I had previously focused on all the bad things that I had heard in the consultations. When I was told “there’s a good chance you’ll be ok”, all I heard was “you are going to die.”

“From speaking to Connor, I realised that I can still do things in my life. I can still achieve.

"Having another patient talk to you is much more impactful than having an oncologist say those same things."

Action Cancer’s Peer Mentoring Programme has been running for nine years. Peer Mentor support is provided by a team of dedicated volunteers, all of whom have personal experience of a cancer diagnosis.

Following three days of bespoke training and assessment, mentors are matched with mentees in relation to their specific cancer type and treatment pathway, to provide a listening ear and empathetic one-to-one support. Action Cancer has eight male Peer Mentors ready to help men affected by skin, prostate, colorectal, throat and pancreatic cancers.

Connor said: "It’s really satisfying to know that by listening and sharing a little of my experience, I can help my clients feel more supported and less alone."

Leigh White at Action Cancer, heads up the Peer Mentoring service, added: “This November we are reaching out to men across Northern Ireland affected by cancer to let them know that we are here.

"The service is available via phone calls, text and face-to-face meet ups.

“Peer Mentoring can be accessed at the time of diagnosis or during or after treatment. It is fully flexible, so as a mentee’s needs change, so can the mentoring support. It’s a service that has compassion and empathy at its core and it’s one that we are really proud of.”

Finnian is currently undergoing observation with dermatology checks every three months, scans every six months and continuing on Dabrafenib and Trametenib (cancer growth inhibitor treatment) in tablet form for the next six months.

He said: “In the future I’d love to, health dependent, become a Peer Mentor myself and help others in a similar position. I recently proposed to my girlfriend Louise, and we’re enjoying being engaged and starting to make plans for our wedding. I’m getting back out again, going for auditions and continuing with my voiceover work, and pursuing my acting ambitions. Life is for living.

“My message to men affected by cancer is this. Don’t bury your head in the sand. There are people out there who will help you and guide you. Action Cancer’s Peer Mentoring Service is so unique and has been a complete gamechanger for me. Please avail of this amazing free service. It’s good to talk."

For more information on Action Cancer’s Peer Mentoring Service contact Leigh White on 07580 133757 or [email protected]