Free course to help cancer survivors in adapt to the “new normal”

The Marie Keating Foundation will host a free five-week survivorship workshop for men and women recovering from cancer in Cork as part of its Survive and Thrive series. The Survive and Thrive workshop will include advice from experts on issues that cancer survivors often face including coping with emotions, managing stress and fatigue and changing nutritional needs. The course, which is open to both men and women who have survived any type of cancer, will take place each Thursday from 17 September to 15 October 2015.  It will be facilitated by Kevin McCaughey, an experienced facilitator for community groups and national networks, and supported by Marie Keating Foundation nurse Maeve O’Sullivan. The course will be held in the Kingsley Hotel, Victoria Cross, Cork from 6.30pm-8.30pm each Thursday evening.  The course is free to attend but places are limited and registration is essential. For application details, please contact Angela Egan, the Marie Keating Foundation, on 01 628 3726 or email info@mariekeating.ie. For further information, please see here.

Helen Forristal, Director of Nursing Services, Marie Keating Foundation, said, “There are now more than 280,000 people in Ireland who have survived cancer which is heartening and gives great hope to people going through cancer treatment at the moment. However, we also have to acknowledge that surviving cancer comes with its own unique challenges. Survivors can struggle with learning to cope with the ‘new normal.’ Everyone will have their own unique experiences and responses but by coming together and by getting some expert advice, this adjustment can be made a lot easier and we are looking forward to helping people who have been through cancer treatment not only to survive but also to thrive.”

Roisin Dunne, a cancer survivor who attended Marie Keating Foundation Survive and Thrive course earlier this year, said, “I found the Survive and Thrive workshop to be hugely helpful. It was great to know that I wasn’t alone through meeting other survivors and hear that they were going through similar experiences. The expert advice was something that is badly needed and, in my opinion, a really necessary part of the healing process. It’s important to not only survive, but thrive, after cancer, but we need to help and support each other through this so I would encourage anyone who is struggling in any area post-treatment to get in touch with the Marie Keating Foundation about the Survive and Thrive workshop.”

Further Survive and Thrive courses and Wellness Days will be held nationwide throughout October and November 2015.  For further information, please see here.