Contact magazine: Empowerment

Naomi Shefford-Thomas, CCLG's Health Information Officer, discusses the importance of accessible information, how it works, and the steps CCLG is taking to make its health resources more inclusive and available to everyone.

Nicky Levent’s son, Sam, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma when he was 18 months old. She explains what it means to her family to raise funds for charities and awareness of childhood cancer, and how it’s helped them.

Child Cancer Smart is a public health intervention aiming to empower both the public and healthcare professionals with knowledge about childhood cancer symptoms. Dr Shaarna Shanmugavadivel, CCLG Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham and part of the project team, tells us more.

Lead investigator Susie Aldiss, a research fellow at the University of Surrey, discusses her research, which is funded by a £92,000 award from CCLG.

Sarah Dransfield was diagnosed with bone cancer in March 2012 aged 16. Here, she tells us what helped her during and after treatment and how cancer has changed her outlook on life.

Louise Graham is a clinical specialist paediatric physiotherapist at The Great North Children’s Hospital. She tells us about how she created a physical activity pathway to help children and young people (CYP) with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) stay active, and how she hopes to develop this to support all CYP with cancer.

Dr Claudia Heggie is a paediatric dentist at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. She’s been leading research looking at the use of photobiomodulation, a light treatment, to prevent a side effect of chemotherapy called mucositis, and how it can be best introduced in other children’s cancer centres.

Teifi Rowley was diagnosed with cancer as a baby and again a few years later. They tell us about Anniben, a drag character they created that has helped them process the long-term impact of treatment through creativity and performance.

Emily Baker, clinical research nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and CCLG member, tells us about her career so far, the most rewarding part of her job, and more.

Raysa Farah’s son, S’aad, was diagnosed with leukaemia aged two. Here, she explains how her and S’aad’s experiences during his treatment inspired her to write a children’s book, empowering both her and other young children with cancer.