A shared barber.
An unexpected beginning.
Of all the ways Olly and I could have met, ours still makes me smile. We were introduced through a barber who had been cutting both our hair for years. There is something hilariously ironic about a barber bringing together two people who had both lost their hair through chemotherapy. Different journeys, the same strangely familiar experience — and, as it turned out, a lot more in common than a haircut.
We met on a call and connected instantly. What started as a conversation became a really good friendship, and now it is hard to imagine our lives without Olly and Maisie in them.
Staggering strength.
Even greater kindness.
Olly is, quite simply, a staggering person. He has been through not one but two stem cell transplants, as well as immunotherapy. That is an enormous amount for anyone to face. But the thing that inspires me most is not just what he has endured — it is the person he is through it all.
He does so much for charities and to raise awareness of lymphoma, using his experience to help others feel seen and less alone. He deserves the very best that life can offer, yet he still finds room to show up for other people.
When I was going through my hardest times, Olly was there for me. Even with everything he had faced himself, he made space for what I was going through. That kind of friendship is something you never forget.
Some people understand your hardest days without you having to explain them.
Not just our friendship.
Theirs, too.
This story belongs to Maisie and Bethan just as much as it belongs to Olly and me. They have become really good friends too, and we want to celebrate that connection every bit as much as our own.
Being the person beside someone through cancer brings its own fears and uncertainties. The friendship Maisie and Bethan have found in each other matters deeply to us. They are not simply in the background of our stories — they are vital parts of them.
We would never choose the hard times that brought us here. But there is something genuinely beautiful about the way those times brought the four of us together. Out of experiences none of us wanted came friendships none of us would now want to be without.
Olly and Maisie have become vital parts of our lives. This is our way of celebrating them: not just the strength it takes to keep going, but the generosity, laughter and connection that make life feel like life again.
Olly and Maisie — we are so grateful that our paths crossed.
Different stories. Shared strength. One community.