Ljósið is a rehabilitation center for people diagnosed with cancer and their families. The benefits of coming to Ljósið are several but taking the first step can be difficult as Marta from Poland says:

For me, cancer was like a handbrake in the life of a workaholic - in my life.  I fell apart mentally and felt ashamed to ask for help.  For a long time I couldn't accept that I was sick, that I had breast cancer.  I parked outside Ljósið several times, I tried to collect myself and  take a step out of the car and enter Ljósið but it was difficult because going there was admitting to myself that I had cancer.  Now I regret that I did it so late.  In Ljósið I met people of different ages who speak different languages, even friends from the past (a bad place to meet after many years). 

Easy access is a priority

Ljósið‘s aim has always been to have few if any barriers to our services which means people do not need a reference from their doctor and anyone can sign up online or come to Langholtsvegur. Making it as easy as possible to access the benefits of Ljósið is a priority because as Patri from Spain says:

When you are diagnosed with cancer the fight isn't just with the disease and treatment itself, you are battling with depression,  loneliness, fear, lack of knowledge and energy in your day to day life as well.
Ljósið is more than just a rehabilitation center, it's the place where the secondary fight is getting the help you need. It is where you find plenty of professional that will help you with any kind of adversity you will face. From receptionists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, sports scientists, art and craft teachers, nutritionists, coaches, psychologists, massage therapists, chefs and other fighting companions you will always feel welcomed with patience and a big smile, making your daily life easier and fuller.
I don't want to imagine what my life would have been like these last few months without the help and support I received in Ljósið. 

The professionals in Ljósið speak English or Danish as well as Icelandic but for interviews with anyone that is not a native Icelandic speaker an interpreter will be present to make sure there is no miscommunication. Language has therefore never been a hindrance in coming to Ljósið and for physical rehabilitation it matters less what language you speak although a connection with other people does make the process more beneficial.

For psychosocial rehabilitation however language matters more and gives people the opportunity to speak to others and benefit from the peer support. Iceland is continuously becoming more and more diverse and multicultural, in fact almost 20% of the nation now has a background with another language and culture, either having immigrated to Iceland or grown up in Iceland with immigrant parents. In keeping with the ethos of Ljósið being accessible and open to everyone, courses and peer groups need to be available in other languages than Icelandic.

The first course in English was held in Ljósið in June 2022. It was only two lectures of two hours each but the participants were pleased with the initiative and signed up for the next course that spanned one month and had four two hour lectures on various subjects. In January 2023 there was another four week course but the need for something more was evident. The group that came to the courses wanted more than a few lectures weeks apart, so the weekly peer group was formed.

There is never an excuse not to meet

Every Wednesday, except the last one of each month, an English speaking Peer Group meets in Ljósið on Langholtsvegur. The group has taken it upon themselves to meet on the last Wednesday as well but because it is not possible to use the private room on this day the group organises the meeting themselves and chooses different places to meet outside Ljósið. They have formed a group that is close-knit and supports one another, or as Dani from Chile explains:

Coming to Ljósið has been good because they have been helping me to connect with myself, they have given me the tools to build my spirit again and I have been finding friends. The peer (multicultural) group is a space where we support each other. In the beginning we were just strangers with cancer, but now we are friends. If someone doesn't come we start to get worried, we call each other and we go on trips. There is never an excuse not to meet even when Ljósið is closed.

The group has made plans to do things unrelated to Ljósið and the members have made a deeper connection with one another. Rosalyn from the Philippines describes Ljósið and the peer group like this:

 Ljósið has become my torch of light that brightens my way and takes me out of the dark. 

I met new friends that gave me hope because while I was going to chemo therapy and to treatments some of them had already finished. So every time I met them and they were very well I also had the courage to continue and the hope that I would also be like them .

Ljósið is a place where I realized the value of loving your own self before others. 

The activities every Wednesday made me realize the value of life because I heard how my friends in Ljósið share their thoughts about how their life was before they had cancer.

I‘m grateful  and very thankful to all the staff and friends in Ljósið and because of them I can say that I will never be alone even in my darkest moments. 

Not only for fluent English speakers

Meeting others in the peer group makes it easier to branch out and do other things you may never have tried before but you feel comfortable doing with your friends. And although the group is called the English speaking peer group not speaking English does not matter, since we have technology that can translate text and speech into any language. Marina from Croatia has been coming to Ljósið for a while and is willing to participate in all kind of things despite not being a fluent English speaker. She says that Ljósið gives her security, she participates in the weekly peer group, does crocheting, ceramics, physical therapy, yoga and shares companionship that means a lot to her and makes her happy. Rosario from the Philippines agrees with Marina Ljósið  means a lot to me, both physically and spiritually. I met people that I had never met before and there are so many activities.

Marta agrees with Marina and Rosario when she says that people, without asking too much, took my hand and helped me get through this difficult time. I go to ceramics classes, yoga, the gym, post-operative gymnastics, massage, and the multicultural group meetings.  Some people are signposts, others walk with me, because we have a common goal to health.

She hopes more people will take the step and come to Ljósið because sharing your story with others, to make information and help more available, is not only about foreigners helping other foreigners. What Marta thinks really matters is accepting yourself as a person with cancer and talking about it with others. That has been a key element of her rehabilitation plan.

Ljósið is also a safe place for the families of those diagnosed. Dani says that Ljósið has been a very important part of the treatment, in the hospital we heal our body but in Ljósið we heal our soul.  People in Ljósið are always diligent to help and guide us through the process  of cancer and not just the patient, their families as well.

Although coming to Ljósið can be difficult the hope of everyone is that coming will make a difference. What Ljósið hopes for everyone that comes here is, in Patri‘s words:

My goal has always been that tomorrow I will remember this episode of my life not as something traumatic, but as something that made me wake up and improve, and Ljósið has contributed to making that come true.

The  peer group meets every Wednesday and alternates between lectures from professionals and open meetings where the groups has lunch and discusses various topics. The program can be found here (https://ljosid.is/peer-group/) and there is also a closed Facebook group where future meetings will be advertised.