Saturday, 11 July 2015

Introduction

My name is Lizzie Martin and I am a third year occupational therapy student. I have created this blog to explore an area I am very passionate about, occupations for individuals at the end of life. I lost my brother, Paul, to cancer on 26 September last year and saw firsthand how his occupational engagement and participation were affected. My blog will discuss the themes I found to be most obvious during the last three months of Paul’s life and will include excerpts from texts I received from him and personal communication with practicing occupational therapists. Paul was incredibly brave and it was a privilege to see how he coped with his illness and approaching death. I am very proud to be able to share his occupational journey.

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9 comments:

  1. Unknown10 July 2015 at 20:50

    Hi Lizzie, glad to see your blog is up and running. I look forward to future posts.

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  2. Andrew Martin11 July 2015 at 22:11

    I think this should be compulsory reading for anyone involved in palliative care. It highlights wonderfully how it must be holistic and individual.

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    1. Unknown12 July 2015 at 07:36

      Thank you Andrew. You must see many wonderful examples of holistic and individual care at the hospice. I'd love to come and see it in action one day.

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  3. Unknown12 July 2015 at 05:32

    I think this is incredibly insightful and a unique position to be in to be able to grasp understanding from both personal and professional angles. It is also very brave to write about such a difficult experience, and helpful to others to use first hand experience to explain situations from the patient's perspective. I think it will be a frank reminder to some professionals that everyone does indeed still have wishes that must always be respected, even to the very end. Thanks lizzie!

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    1. Unknown12 July 2015 at 07:40

      I was very lucky to spend so much time with Paul and see which occupations he prioritized. It was lovely to be able to do this as a sister but it has also given me great insight which hopefully I can use in practice in the future.

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  4. Unknown17 July 2015 at 05:18

    Wow Lizzie. That all made for a moving and thoughtful read, thank you for sharing. You will make a wonderful OT, on account of you being such an inspirational and brave woman. Not everyone is as lucky as you to have such a close and loving family and I know once qualified you will prove invaluable for many, many people.

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    1. Unknown17 July 2015 at 10:43

      Thank you Candice. Witnessing Paul's journey will definitely help me to be a better occupational therapist. I learnt lots from him and I know that would have made him very proud.

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  5. Shirelands Goldadors28 August 2015 at 18:57

    Many thanks for this personal testimony - powerful!

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    1. Unknown29 August 2015 at 09:01

      Thank you Jackie. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Also, thank you for sharing on your blog. The more people who appreciate the importance of palliative care the better!

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