I showed this to my husband who has had to self-isolate because of
#cancer
@NIPanC1
and he has spent the last 5 minutes laughing out loud. Is he delirious?
My childhood sweetheart, my lifelong friend and champion, John has taken his leave. Death came gently after an almighty battle with pancreatic cancer. Thank you to
@CancerFundChild
@NIPanC1
and especially
@NIHospice
for outstanding end of life care
6 yrs ago we were excited to see The Killers play
#Belfast
. The couple standing next to us said my husband was a “bad colour”. It turned out to be one of the symptoms of
#pancreaticcancer
- I never met these people again to say thanks. Does anyone recognise them?
Today something truly remarkable happened. I won
@ulstertatlermag
Woman of Influence Award for overcoming adversity. I’m not sure if I’ve overcome adversity but I’ve committed to using it to help families impacted by cancer
@NIPANC_
@CancerFundChild
#hope
I’m 2 years a
#widow
today. You don’t know what is around the next corner. I’ve learned (and continue to learn) how to live life to the fullest even with the pain of
#grief
. I’m
#thankful
that I had a good marriage with a good, kind man.
@CancerFundChild
@NIPANC_
Well, that was an adventure! I had the privilege of sharing my experience of death, grief, loss, pain, suffering, hope & life after cancer
@TEDxStormont
“Grief isn’t linear, it’s tidal. It ebbs and flows. Each wave of grief charts its own unique journey”. John would be proud
Thank you my wonderful twitter family for all the kind messages of condolence following the passing of my sweetheart, John. Here’s a brief insight into our family’s cancer journey, Lisa’s Story - Cancer Fund For Children
@NIPanC1
@NIHospice
Sharing good news. I’ve been nominated for an award in the category “Women who have overcome adversity”. It’s a huge privilege & gives me
#hope
that I can use my voice to advocate more for families impacted by cancer
@ulstertatlermag
@NIPANC_
@CancerFundChild
Two talks done
@WesternHSCTrust
#cancer
#centre
. Thanks for the warm welcome & response to “Walking in my shoes” - a personal story of the impact of
#terminal
#pancreatic
#cancer
on me & my family. My children inspired me to write the talk & I hope it helps other families
When your daughter comes to visit with home-made mask, prescription & shopping, having waited in the queue at the pharmacy and then 1hr
@Tesco
you can’t help but feel
#proud
.
#cancer
puts us in a high risk category
#staysafe
@NIPanC1
@CancerFundChild
When you experience
#grief
and loss, it can help to know that good will come out of it. We wanted to share our story to shine a light on how cancer impacts
#teenagers
& how this amazing organisation helps support them. Thank you to my Twitter friends for giving so generously.
✨Keep an eye out for our Christmas appeal which is arriving through letterboxes from this morning. ✨
Thank you so much
@lstrutt
for sharing your family’s personal experience of cancer & our support.
#togetherthroughcancer
💛
I’m so proud of my dear friend Ivan McMinn
@NIPANC_
receiving his MBE for services to charity. He is the hardest working volunteer I know. He’s survived
#pancreatic
cancer twice and is utterly dedicated to helping people impacted by cancer.
No matter where you find yourself; no matter how difficult your circumstances; no matter how tough the choices before you, there is beauty.
@NIPanC1
@CancerFundChild
@NIHospice
At the Christmas drive-in movie with my
#1
@CancerFundChild
- Home Alone…The run-up is Christmas is hard for families who are grieving. So many unpredictable emotions. This is such a welcome relief.
#funtimes
What a beautiful morning to travel to Dublin! Looking forward to using my lived experience of
#endoflife
care & being mum to three teenagers through their dad’s terminal cancer diagnosis. 1st time visiting
@ucddublin
with
@semple_cherith
&
@drjhanna02
When you’re on a live leadership session & a participant mentions what’s on your whiteboard (which you haven’t noticed because you gave up your space during homeschooling and it’s the first day back at your desk)...phew! It could have been so different.
#gratitude
@dougalhorse
So here is the proof. I got to meet
@Dr_Black
and she answered my question on how to encourage women transitioning to a career in tech. What a humble, authentic and accomplished woman! Defo not the last time we’ll see you in Belfast, Sue, I hope.
@IoDNI
best
#IWD
ever!
Huge thanks to all the team
@belfastcc
@SuzanneWylie2
@KateNicholl
who made this possible. It’s so important that we highlight that
#Timematters
when it comes to Pancreatic Cancer. If even one more person becomes aware of the signs and symptoms, it could save a life
@NIPANC_
#TheFun50
challenge for
@CancerFundChild
finishes at the park where John & I used to meet after school. Over £15000 has been raised from the Christmas appeal & funeral donations. Thank you to everyone who contributed & has promised to for this challenge.
#kindnessmatters
#legacy
Former
@NorthernIreland
international footballer Gail Redmond was made a MBE for services to women's football in the New Year Honours list.
Redmond says she feels "so humbled" by the honour.
Read more:
I’ve never had a standing ovation until today. It was incredibly humbling and emotional. Thank you to my amazing support network who help make it possible for me to tell my story. You know who you are.
#Grief
#Friendship
#Courage
So well said👇not many conference speakers get a standing ovation 👏 but
@lstrutt
this was deserved..thank you for giving & sharing your pre-bereavement & grief journey as a mum of 3 teenagers..enriching & enhancing clinical practice..let’s step into those difficult conversations
Last week, I’d the huge privilege of being a featured
#speaker
at Crom Castle Executive Networking Event...I fulfilled one of my
#goals
to speak to a global audience about growing up in Belfast & the adventures I’ve been on since.
@EmmaWeaver01
@paulaquigNI
I’m new to the writing of
@ANNELAMOTT
& I’m trying to read her new book, Somehow, without underlining it all! It seems to speak tenderly and with a good dose of humour to a (my) post-COVID world grappling with loss and wanting more love to abound.
#grief
#joy
#transition
It’s not something I say lightly…I’m looking forward to sharing my lived experience at the
@CancerFundChild
conference. There are gifts and
#learning
in each and every unique
#cancer
story.
@NIPANC_
On 17th September we will be holding a conference at Daisy Lodge for health and social care professionals focusing on how healthcare teams can support families when a parent of dependent children is at end of life with cancer. Register here:
#pallcareweek
Here’s one of the reasons I chose to be on the Board of NIPANC. My husband John lived 2 years 11 months following initial diagnosis. He was 47 years old. The stats for NI are devastatingly low ⤵️
The statistics on Pancreatic Cancer in Northern Ireland are truly shocking
Only 1% of people in Northern Ireland diagnosed with
#PancreaticCancer
will reach 10-year survival
For approaching my 50th birthday, I challenged 50 friends and colleagues to introduce me to their hobby or help me try something new. It’s taken me almost 3 years to do the
#Friendship50
activities. Today is the FINAL one.
#transitions
@NIPANC_
It takes two to tandem
Introducing our next entrants
#TeamStruttYourStuff
.’
@lstrutt
is doubling up with John Dickinson to
#PedalThePeriphery
on a bike built for two
Unfortunately, things didn’t really get off to the best of starts
For more info go to:
It was my huge honour to be the motivational speaker at today’s graduation ceremony with
@NOW_Group
what a crowd! We talked
#strengths
#purpose
#choice
thank you
@maevemonaghan
for asking me and all the superb team BUT most especially the GRADUATES who had such positive energy!
My Story - Cancer Fund For Children. I wrote this blog a year ago. So much has changed since then for me and my family. My message to connect deeply with those you love is more important than ever.
#gratitude
#relationships
#connection
#kindness
#courage
We made it through the gridlock in
#belfast
. First in the queue! Ready to celebrate class of 2021 Female Football Leadership Programme at tonight’s game.
@IFAFootballDev
#leadership
A fantastic morning's workshop at
@CancerFundChild
with a full house of health and social care professionals, sharing our research findings and guidance on how professionals can support families when a parent is at end of life with cancer.
A morning’s work done
@CancerFundChild
. Daisy Lodge is stunning today. A huge thank you to all the team for making this visit possible
#COVID19
@PhilAlexander__
so proud of my art work!
💜 This time 5 years ago we were at the Killers gig
@SSEBelfastArena
and my husband felt unwell. The couple next to us said he was a bad colour. Little did we know it was jaundice. 10 days later he was diagnosed with
#PancreaticCancer
#TimeMatters
@NIPANC_
💜
This is such a powerful message. Just because someone looks like they have it together or that they are “moving forward” doesn’t mean they aren’t still grieving. There are often dual, bittersweet feelings that abound in
#grief
& no time more than at Christmas.
Lights, camera, action
@LyricBelfast
- recording “Walking in My Shoes”, a piece I wrote about how
#PancreaticCancer
impacted my family; talking to children about an incurable cancer diagnosis & how to “live well to die well”
@CancerFundChild
@NIPANC_
When you have
#COVID
& are isolating…& your friend
@CrawfordDorcas
brings you a goodie bag from
@oxbelfast
you can’t help but be cheered up! Thank you!!
It was a huge pleasure to be in the company of these two phenomenal sporting legends Ann Brightwell (née Packer) MBE & Lady Mary Peters at the
@NIPANC_
awareness raising event at
@AbercornEstate
. We bonded over 💜
#sport
&
#loss
through
#PancreaticCancer
#Grief
can make you feel so alone. Don’t be afraid to contact someone and let them know you care. I’m very thankful for all my friends and work colleagues who checked in with me throughout 2021 - you know who you are.
@MCQPR
@AliceSkeats
@emcharlesworth3
@WidowedAndYoung
I never thought I’d be spending time…going to
#ComicCon
. My daughter always went with her dad before he died, so when
@CancerFundChild
invited us along, it was a fab way for us to spend time together. I ❤️ how they care long after
#death
#grief
. PS 🙌 to the cosplay.
Ahh! Thank you to the fabulous Cancer Services Team
@setrust
for this beautiful bouquet. Talking about family-centred cancer care has become such a meaningful part of my life. It was a privilege to share my story with you.
#grief
#Cancer
#LifeStories
Happy St Patrick’s Day from the wild Atlantic at Castlerock. I went in for a dip. Yes, it was cold 🥶 but I am grateful to feel alive and healthy. May you know the joy of being fully alive.
#midlife
Delighted to catch up with my friend
@Cjstirling59
at
#SocEntNIAwards22
. Looking forward to a super evening celebrating all that’s good in the Social Enterprise sector.
Spot the difference
@CancerFundChild
Daisy Lodge. Before John died: September 20. After: June 21. Cancer Fund for Children is still there for families after bereavement. We had fun as a family making new memories.