Today, I helped put that learning to good use by using my lived experience to help create new educational video resources for the University of Ulster’s Family Centred Cancer Care Conversations. Despite the snow, a huge turnout for today’s launch. Great energy in the room, an appreciation of the value of the resources and a willingness among all to have them shared and distributed as widely as possible to health and social care professionals and third sector. A special day and a step forward.

I’m pleased to have played a role in sharing my own experience of cancer, death and dying and to put it to good use through the creation of these video resources for the University of Ulster’s Family Centred Cancer Care Conversations work. I think it’s important, lived experience is incorporated in all our efforts to provide better support to families where a significant adult has cancer with caring responsibilities for dependent children. Guiding my own teenage children through profound grief and loss over the last three years has taught me much and I am grateful to have had an opportunity to put this learning to good use for the benefit of others.

If you are interested in finding out more about the resources, they can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eQB7cRTn

Please be aware, you may find them hard-hitting and emotive.

Thank you to my dear friends who joined me today and who support and encourage me in this work
Sinead Sharkey-Steenson
Ruth Flood
Ivan McMinn MBE
Dorcas Crawford
John Dickinson