Addressing communication challenges when a friend or family member receives a cancer diagnosis has been the focus for Griffith’s Dee Handyside and Dr Vanette McLennan.
Dee, an Online Development Officer from the university’s School of Human Services and Social Work and herself a cancer survivor, said it all started from an educational musical production she has been working on called The Silk Rags Project.
Also a singer and songwriter, Dee originally wrote the soundtrack to the production – which looks at real life experiences of having cancer – during her own cancer treatments back in 2009. The Silk Rags Project, aims to enable community groups to collaborate on a performance which will entertain, educate, start conversations, have fun and raise funds. The original production began in 2015 and has received some notable awards and media acclaim.
“The musical is about the underlying message regarding communication strategies when a friend receives a cancer diagnosis – from the inappropriate to the awkward,” says Dee.
Advice on how to talk to people
“Following one of the first performances
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