179: Yes To Life Show with Robin Daly MBE and guest Sophie Epstone MBE179: Yes To Life Show with Robin Daly MBE and guest Sophie Epstone MBE
UK Health Radio Podcast
Robin Daly MBE talks with Sophie Epstone MBE about how Trekstock supports younger adults with cancer through movement, community and practical guidance. Their conversation highlights the "cliff edge" after treatment, the value of holistic care and the hope that comes from meeting others who truly understand.
46:05•2 Jul 2026
Pioneering Support for Young Adults with Cancer: Robin Daly MBE Meets Sophie Epstone MBE
Episode Overview
- There is a major gap in age-appropriate support when younger adults are moved from teenage services into adult cancer care, leaving many feeling isolated and lost.
- Structured, evidence-based exercise with cancer rehab professionals can help people feel stronger, reconnect with their bodies and regain confidence during and after treatment.
- Community-based group programmes let people move their bodies while meeting others their own age who "get it", reducing isolation and sharing hope.
- Clear, practical nutrition information created with clinicians and patients can cut through confusing advice and make eating well during treatment feel realistic, not overwhelming.
- Small, flexible charities can pioneer innovative services and partnerships, feeding real-world experience into wider cancer plans and hospital-based support.
“"People need and deserve better cancer care in this age group. It's not good enough to say, sorry, it doesn't exist."”
How do people find strength when life is suddenly split into "before" and "after" a diagnosis? This conversation on the Yes To Life Show shares exactly that kind of grit and heart, focusing on younger adults whose lives have been upended by cancer. Host Robin Daly MBE talks with Sophie Epstone MBE, CEO and founder of Trekstock, about the huge gap in support for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s once treatment ends.
Sophie explains how watching a friend in his early 20s get "ticked off the list" and pushed into adult care sparked Trekstock’s birth, evolving from a fundraising gig into a charity built around movement, mental wellbeing and community. As she puts it, "People need and deserve better cancer care in this age group.
It's not good enough to say, sorry, it doesn't exist." You’ll hear how Trekstock’s programmes centre on exercise with cancer rehab specialists, group classes and a new triage service with oncology physios, designed so "healthcare professionals will feel really confident referring" to safe, evidence-based support. Robin and Sophie also talk about the “cliff edge” when treatment ends – that moment when support falls away, yet the emotional and physical impact can last for years. Nutrition gets a big spotlight too.
Sophie outlines Trekstock’s food and cancer guide, created with nutritionists, oncologists and their community to cut through confusing or unhelpful advice and offer simple, realistic ideas that don’t pile on extra pressure. Threaded through it all is the power of connection and hope: meeting others your own age with cancer, sharing practical tools, and creating sanctuaries – from sound baths to a quiet room in hospital – where people can breathe, reset and feel like more than a diagnosis.
If you or someone you love is rebuilding life after serious illness, this conversation might spark some fresh ideas and a reminder that you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
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