Cork conference will look at living well with and beyond cancer

ONE in two people in Ireland will, at some point in their life, receive a cancer diagnosis. Every year, almost 45,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Ireland – that translates to somebody being told ‘you have cancer’ every three minutes. Receiving this news can be devastating for individuals and families.

There was a time in Ireland when people heard the word ‘cancer’ and they simply associated it with death. And for good reason.

 In the 1960s, just 3 in 10 Irish people survived a cancer diagnosis, meaning a mortality rate of 70%.

But our relationship with cancer has dramatically changed since then. Through significant advances in cancer and medical research, technological change and more public awareness surrounding cancer prevention and early detection, we now live in a world where today, 6 in 10 Irish people survive being diagnosed with cancer. And some cancers such as breast and prostate have survival rates of up to 9 in 10.

That is something that we must not only take enormous pride in, but we must also take hope and courage that today’s terminal cancers will be tomorrow’s treatable ones.

Since 1979, the Irish Cancer Society has invested over €60 million in cancer research, supporting over 450 research projects. We are the largest voluntary sector investor in cancer research in Ireland and this is something we simply could not do without the amazing and generous support of the Irish public.

It is through these investments and significant advances in cancer and medical research, which are transferring over into clinical care, that we now have a growing and thriving community of cancer survivors in Ireland. 

With over 200,000 people across Ireland now living either with or beyond a cancer diagnosis, it is vitally important that we have supports and guidance in place to ensure that every one of those people never feels alone but also that they can go on and live their life to the fullest.

For us at the Irish Cancer Society, we want to be there for every man, woman and child impacted by a cancer diagnosis. We are there for families impacted by child and adolescent cancer, all of whom receive our €3,000 Children’s Fund Grant with no questions asked.

We are there for chemotherapy patients who need to get to their hospital appointments through our Volunteer Driver Service, where we pair them up with a kind and amazing volunteer in their community.

We are there for anybody who has any questions through our Freephone Support Line where members of the public can get straight through to our cancer nurses and through our Daffodil Centres, which are located in hospitals across the country, including Cork University Hospital and Bons Secours Cork.

We are there for cancer patients through our peer support programmes and counselling services – in 2022, over 3,200 people availed of more than 16,000 free counselling sessions provided by the Irish Cancer Society.

We are there for families whose loved one is coming to the end and wants to spend their final days at home through our Night Nursing service.

These are just some of the ways we are there to help cancer patients and their families, offering them support when they need that support the most.

On Saturday, 18 November, we will be there for people affected by cancer once more through our Living Well With and Beyond Cancer conference, which takes place at the Clayton Silver Spring, Cork City.

It is completely free to attend and gathers a wide range of speakers who will share their experiences, stories and expert knowledge on living well through and beyond a cancer diagnosis.

Experts will cover a variety of topics from self-care to nutrition and financial guidance, and attendees can meet and mix with others affected by cancer. The conference will be hosted by Clinical psychologist, Dr Eddie Murphy and some of the speakers participating include:

• · Professor Jack Gleeson, Associate Professor in Medical Oncology, University College Cork & Consultant Medical Oncologist, Cork University Hospital;
• · Veronica McSharry, Oncology Dietician;
• · Dr. Claire Kilty, Head of Research, the Irish Cancer Society; and many more.

On top of the experts, one of the panels I’m most looking forward to is hearing directly from an amazing group of cancer survivors. Women and men, drawn locally from Cork, including Mallow, Midelton, Shanagarry and Youghal, who are living with and beyond cancer will share their own personal stories. They will discuss how they have dealt with their diagnosis, what supports they have availed of and how they continue to live their life to the fullest.

As more and more people live beyond cancer, we need to hear these experiences directly from those affected and we hope you will be able to join us for what will be an inspiring day.

The Irish Cancer Society’s Living Well With and Beyond Cancer Conference takes place Saturday, 18 November at the Clayton Sliver Springs, Cork City. Sign up for free at cancer.ie/livingwell.