25/02/2025
North West Cancer Centre celebrated the unveiling of a beautiful new artwork entitled ‘A Space in Time for Us’ this week. The piece was produced as part of a project funded by Macmillan Cancer Support to mark World Cancer Day 2025 on the theme ‘Close the Cancer Care Gap’. It aims to highlight how people with dementia and their carers may experience challenges when accessing cancer care and how services can seek to support them.
The project was led by DEEDS (Dementia Engaged and Empowered in Derry & Strabane) in partnership with Macmillan Support Centre, Altnagelvin and involved people living with dementia and carers of people with dementia who have lived experience of a cancer diagnosis.
Participants engaged in a series of workshops with Artist Maureen Mc Ghee, sharing their cancer journey and using words & symbols to describe their experience of care and how potential care gaps can be addressed. The artwork used a piece of County Tyrone Bog Oak which is estimated to be 5000 years old with participants making copper oak leaves and raindrops then embossing the words or images onto these to reflect their experience and placing them on the wood.
DEEDS Support Worker Wendy McLaughlin commented:
“Participants had expressed that they had never been given the opportunity to talk about their cancer experience before. We have learned from their feedback the importance of “See Me. Hear Me. I am still here” and for medical staff to learn to use simple language and even visuals to explain complex medical terms at their cancer appointments. DEEDS has also delivered an immersive dementia awareness training for staff as part of this project which we hope will help build a more dementia friendly service.”
Maureen McGhee commented:
“I hope that the wonderful words of the participants inspire others to listen, to talk and to share their own journey through cancer with others. I feel very privileged to have been involved in giving a space to the voice of those living with dementia and cancer and their carers.”
Una Cardin, Western Trust Assistant Director of Cancer and Diagnostics added:
“On behalf of the staff at the North West Cancer Centre (NWCC), I would like to say thank you to DEEDS and Macmillan Cancer Support for the beautiful new artwork “A Space in Time for Us” which has been created to celebrate World Cancer Day 2025. It is important that people living with cancer and dementia have had the opportunity to come together and share their experiences while creating a lasting memory of this project through art. It will be placed centrally within the NWCC for others to admire and appreciate.”
For information on services & support for anyone diagnosed with early stage dementia and their family members contact DEEDS on 028 71 37 38 70
Information on services & support for anyone impacted by cancer in the Western Trust area is available at: Macmillan.Information@westerntrust.hscni.net or 028 7161 1139