Five Things I’ve learnt about cancer and death after treatment for stage 4 throat cancer, by Julie McCrossin.

Julie McCrossin had oropharyngeal cancer treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy over six years ago. She has recovered her speech and swallowing, and is back to her usual busy life. Julie is known across Australia for her warmth, humour, intelligence and commitment to social justice. She’s an Ambassador for Targeting Cancer.

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Five Things I’ve learnt from writing about death, by Rupert Callender.

Rupert Callender is a ceremonial undertaker, who started The Green Funeral Company in 1999 with his partner Claire. They became undertakers, (they prefer the term to ‘Funeral Directors’ with its implied etiquette and control) after hearing about The Natural Death Centre charity, an organisation that sprung from the counterculture. Their training mainly consisted of reading The Natural Death Handbook and being influenced personally by punk, acid house and crop circles.

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Five Things I've learnt about life and living from death and dying, by palliative care nurse Philip Ball.

Philip Ball knew that he wanted to work in end of life care in his student nurse days as hospices developed. After almost 30 years in hospices and hospitals working in the specialty, he is now lead nurse of the palliative and end of life care team at Milton Keynes University Hospital. He has seen the importance of having conversations about death and dying, and making the best of life. 

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