Touch Therapy

This conference provides an opportunity for young people who have or have had cancer to hear first hand from the experts and ask them questions; take part in group discussions on subjects such as hair loss, fertility and relationships. For many of the young people attending, Find Your Sense of Tumour is the first time they can meet and share experiences with people their own age who know what it’s like to be diagnosed.

In October 2008 I was booked by the Red Cross to do some Therapeutic Care at Center Parcs at the ‘Find your sense of  Tumour’ Conference organised by the Teenage Cancer Trust.

This conference provides an opportunity for young people who have or have had cancer to hear first hand from the experts and ask them questions; take part in group discussions on subjects such as hair loss, fertility and relationships. For many of the young people attending, Find Your Sense of Tumour is the first time they can meet and share experiences with people their own age who know what it’s like to be diagnosed.

In addition to the Red Cross TC service, I was priviledged to be able to join the team of 15 volunteer Complementary Therapists organised by Virginia McGovern who is the Complementary Therapy Nurse Specialist in the Children’s Short Stay at Queen’s Medical Centre to offer therapies to the 400 young people over the weekend.

It was a truly enlightening and upbeat weekend and I was bowled over by the young people’s evident enjoyment and interest in the talks and active participation in the social activities.

The team of Complementary Therapists. Ginny McGivern (back row, far left), Jacky (middle row, third from right)