Bronwen Griffiths from the Cancer Support Group on healthcare in Mallorca and what every international resident needs to watch out for.

In this episode, Vicki sits down with Bronwen Griffiths, president of Cancer Support Mallorca, to talk about her remarkable life in Spain and the charity’s work supporting people affected by cancer on the island. Bronwen shares how she moved from the UK to Spain in her twenties, built a life across Menorca and Mallorca, spent decades teaching at Bellver International College, and eventually stepped into one of the island’s most important volunteer roles. Together, they discuss language, belonging, paperwork, healthcare, family life abroad, and why nobody facing cancer in Mallorca should feel they have to do it alone.

What happens when you move to Spain in your twenties for love, build a life on the islands, raise a family, teach generations of children, and then find yourself leading one of Mallorca’s most important charities?

In this episode of Majorca Mallorca, Vicki talks to Bronwen Griffiths, president of Cancer Support Mallorca, about her 50 years in Spain, her life between Menorca and Mallorca, and the work the charity does for people facing cancer far from home.

Bronwen talks about arriving in Spain in a very different era, learning the language from scratch, adapting to island life, and spending 32 years teaching at Bellver International College. She also explains how Cancer Support Mallorca helps patients and families navigate one of the hardest experiences life can throw at them.

They discuss practical support, hospital appointments, translation help, counselling, nutrition, wigs, transport, end of life planning, volunteering, and the realities of private versus public healthcare in Spain. It is a warm, honest and deeply useful conversation for anyone living in Mallorca, especially those who may one day need help, or want to offer it.

In this episode:

• Bronwen’s journey from London to Spain
• Life in Menorca and Mallorca in the 1970s and 80s
• Learning Spanish and finding your place abroad
• 32 years at Bellver International College
• What Cancer Support Mallorca actually does
• Why paperwork matters so much in Spain
• The difference between private and public healthcare in serious illness
• Volunteering, fundraising and community support on the island

Useful links

Cancer Support Mallorca

cancersupportmallorca.com

Contact Cancer Support Mallorca

info@cancersupportmallorca.com

WhatsApp: +34 659 887 455

Cancer Support Mallorca publicly lists support including patient drop-in centres, emotional support, nutrition advice, translators, transport, practical help, oncology materials and volunteer programmes.

00:00 Intro

04:06 How long Bronwen has been in Spain and Mallorca

04:39 Leaving the UK at 23 after a holiday romance

05:23 Life in Menorca, hotel work and moving around Spain

07:44 Being a young British woman in Menorca in the 1970s

10:08 Learning Spanish and settling into island life

12:08 Leaving teaching in the UK behind

13:20 Family, friendship and community in Spain

16:00 Returning to teaching at Bellver International College

18:27 Retirement, daughters and grandchildren

20:00 Raising bilingual children

22:00 Why making the effort with language matters

25:00 Taking over Cancer Support Mallorca

26:14 How the group began

27:25 What Cancer Support Mallorca actually does

29:21 Nutrition, counselling and buddy support

32:42 Living through cancer and speaking openly about fear

34:00 End of life planning and practical help for families

36:34 Funding, volunteers and how the charity runs

39:53 Hospital drop-in centres and awareness

41:02 Wigs, scarves and support materials

42:11 The art group and knitting group

43:00 Fundraising and the annual walk

46:54 How many patients are being supported now

47:20 Private versus public healthcare in Mallorca

50:00 Why getting your paperwork in order matters

55:00 Helping patients navigate bureaucracy

56:51 The future of the charity and volunteering

58:38 Who volunteers and how the organisation works

01:00:34 Where to find Cancer Support Mallorca

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