Psychologist Dr Kate Barrett and Counsellor Mary-Kate Kelly will host a ‘Living With Uncertainty’ webinar on the 31st January 2023. This webinar will focus on learning how to live well after a cancer diagnosis, and strategies for managing thoughts and feelings.

If you or your loved one is struggling with adjustment in the aftermath of cancer treatment, this webinar will be beneficial to you.

Sign up by calling us on 074 9601901.

Questions can be submitted in advance to email [email protected]

Grow a tash and raise some cash for Cancer Care West!

Help us to continue supporting those affected by a cancer diagnosis, by taking part in FanTASHtic.

During the month of November, grow your beard with pride and raise funds for us. Set up a fundraising page HERE and share with family, friends and loved ones.

All funds raised will directly help us to continue offering our range of cancer support services free of charge to those who need us.

Set up a fundraising page

Write Here, Write Now – Therapeutic Writing For People Impacted by Cancer

When someone is going though treatment for cancer or even watching a loved one go through it, it can all be bit overwhelming. However creative and expressive writing exercises are shown to have an extremely positive impact on those affected, as by writing their feelings down on paper, patients often find they are able to clarify their thoughts and explore choices and possibilities.

Mary-Kate Kelly, Counsellor/Psychotherapist, Cancer Care West, explains “Expressive writing has been shown to improve a person’s mental, emotional and physical well-being when dealing with cancer. When all the thoughts that are swirling around in your head can be articulated on paper, they can seem less scary and more manageable and importantly give you the vocabulary to share them with others. This is very valuable and helpful to the participants.”

Cancer Care West is delighted to confirm that they are now adding a therapeutic writing course to the list of supports they offer cancer patients. Participants will complete creative and expressive writing exercises, using guided prompts in a safe setting. The ‘Write Here, Write Now’ group will run once a week at the Cancer Care West Support Centre on Tuesday evenings (6.30pm – 8pm) over 5 sessions, beginning on Tuesday 20th September at 6.30pm. If you would like to enquire about taking part, please contact Cancer Care West on (091) 540040 or email [email protected]

Cancer Care West along with Bowel Cancer Patient, Alan Cheevers, highlights the early warning signs of bowel cancer, as it claims the lives of 1,000 Irish people each year.

– Calls for increased awareness of the common symptoms, regardless of age
– Men are statistically more likely to ignore screening appointments than women
– Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer in men

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, which is marked annually in the month of April, Cancer Care West, a charity dedicated to supporting those whose lives have been affected by cancer diagnosis, highlights the importance of screening. Early detection is key as 60% of all cancers diagnosed through screening were at stage one or two, according to a recent report by BowelScreen, meaning that they were found at a stage where treatment is likely to be successful.

Speaking about the importance of early detection, Prof. Maccon Keane, Consultant Oncologist at Galway University Hospital, has urged all those eligible or with symptoms to seek screening: “The treatments available for bowel cancer depend on the stage and the earlier the stage, the easier the treatment. If caught early enough, the treatment doesn’t require an operation and can be done through the colonoscope.”

Describing the most common symptoms of the disease, Prof. Keane urges anyone with warning signs to seek advice from their GP: “The most common symptom of bowel cancer is the passage of blood in the stool, if you have even one episode of blood in the stool you should bring it to the attention of your GP. If you notice a significant change in bowel habits that is persistent, then that should be brought to the attention of your GP as well.”

Alan Cheevers, a Galway City East Counsellor, who is currently receiving treatment for bowel cancer, described his own experience with symptom diagnosis saying: “I was suffering myself from the passing of blood and irregular bowel movements. That’s when I decided I needed to see my GP and have a colonoscopy to get it checked. That is where they found a tumor in my bowel and shortly after that, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer.”

Aiming to raise awareness of the importance of screening, particularly for men who often attach a stigma to health checks, Cheevers continued: “The month of April is the month where bowel cancer awareness is highlighted, and it would be great to see as many people getting checked as possible. I think it is important, especially for men, that we have regular checks and take responsibility for our health. Research has shown stark differences in figures which reveals poor uptake among men (49.3%), in comparison to 61.6% of women who avail of this potentially lifesaving cancer screening year on year.”

In Ireland, bowel cancer is the second most common newly diagnosed cancer, and the second most common cause of cancer death, claiming the lives of 1,000 Irish people annually. Almost 2,500 new cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed every year and this figure is set to increase significantly over the next 10 years, due mainly to an increasing and ageing population.
For further information on screening regardless of age and to learn more about signs and symptoms go to: https://www.cancercarewest.ie/bowelcancer

If anybody has any questions or concerns please make contact with our support services either by emailing [email protected] or calling 091-540040. All services are free, confidential and delivers by professionals.

Cancer Care West Annual Report for 2020 is now available to view online. Click on image below to view.

To download the Annual Report click here (23MB PDF)