Writing therapy for cancer patients

Cancer Focus Northern Ireland is holding '˜Writing my Cancer Journey' sessions in Ballymena in March and April for cancer patients from throughout County Antrim
Cancer patient Joyce Thompson who has experience of Writing my Cancer Journey sessions which are now to start in Ballymena in March and April for cancer patients in the Co Antrim area.Cancer patient Joyce Thompson who has experience of Writing my Cancer Journey sessions which are now to start in Ballymena in March and April for cancer patients in the Co Antrim area.
Cancer patient Joyce Thompson who has experience of Writing my Cancer Journey sessions which are now to start in Ballymena in March and April for cancer patients in the Co Antrim area.

Writing my Cancer Journey’ is one of the many care service complementary therapies that Cancer Focus NI offers patients to help them cope with their illness.

Sessions are open to patients going through or after their treatment and will be held at All Saints Parish Centre, Cushendall Road, Ballymena, from 10am to 1pm on Wednesdays dated - March 22 and 29 and April 5, 12 and 19.

The workshops are broken up into themes and look at life before cancer, diagnosis, treatment, after treatment, what now and what next?

Breast cancer patient Joyce Thompson travelled weekly from her home in Omagh to Coleraine to use the service and said it was a real lifeline for her.

Joyce, who was diagnosed in 2015 and has gone through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, said: “I thought this service was excellent and would recommend it to anyone. I love it because I found that writing things down helped process what I’d been through and helped me work through my own experience.

“One of the best things for me is that I was able to talk to other people who were in the same boat. People are always very sympathetic but sometimes you don’t want to bother family and friends. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. You can concentrate on writing about your journey. And of course it’s all confidential...It’s fun too – it’s by no means all about cancer.”

Cancer Focus NI counsellor Leo McGarry said: “The written word is one of the most powerful forms of expression, and no more than when you are coping with cancer. Research has shown that writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events can help both your physical and psychological health. Writing offers you the safety to unearth and express what you think and feel. When you begin to shape those thoughts and feelings into a story, it helps you make sense of things.

“You don’t need to have any writing experience and we don’t worry about formalities like spelling and punctuation. It’s all about helping you express your emotions and feelings and enabling you to feel heard.”

To sign up for the sessions please email [email protected] or call 9066 3281. You can also find out more at www.cancerfocusni.org

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