Cancer support worker appointed to cover Westmeath

Westmeath is one of the midland counties set to benefit from the appointment jointly by the Cancer Fund for Children and the Katie Nugent Fund of four new cancer support specialist professionals. Aoife Malone will cover Westmeath, Cavan and the midlands.

Her role will be to provide support services for children and young people up to age 24 who have been diagnosed with cancer, and their families.

Across the country, 340-360 people in this age group are diagnosed with cancer every year.

Prior to working for Cancer Fund for Children, Aoife worked in Crumlin Hospital for three and a half years on the haematology and oncology ward as a health play specialist.

“During my time working there, I supported children and families affected by childhood cancer using different play techniques and providing emotional support,” she said.

“Play also helped children coping with side effects of chemotherapy or waiting for big surgeries or procedures.

“I also carried out normal play based on the child’s likes and interests, which encouraged normalisation during their hospital experiences.

“Cancer Fund for Children is an amazing charity that cares for families and children impacted by childhood cancer in such a unique way.”

The four new cancer support specialists will provide informal social and emotional support to families affected by childhood cancer diagnosis. Support will be available to all young people who are diagnosed with cancer, regardless of where they live.

The three other appointees are John Daunt, who will have responsibility for the Cork and the Munster Area; Claire Kennelly, Leinster, and Rachel Duffy, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon.

Cancer Fund for Children have 30 years of experience delivering this model of support to children diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland, where they have an established team based in regional hospitals, in the community and at their therapeutic short break centre, Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, County Down.

Their vision and commitment are shared by the Katie Nugent Fund, which was founded by Westmeath couple Nick and Alice Nugent of Ballinlough in 2011 after the death of their six-year-old daughter Katie a year earlier following a courageous struggle with leukaemia.

“The ambitions of the Katie Nugent Fund are closely aligned to those of Cancer Fund for Children and these community appointments have been made possible thanks to the time, effort of many different people,” said Alice Nugent of the Katie Nugent Fund.

“Having seen the benefits that the service already provides within the National Children’s Cancer Service at CHI at Crumlin, I am excited to roll-out these four additional community specialist roles nationally. All of this will hopefully prove of immeasurable benefit to many families for years to come.”