Reconstructing experience of childhood cancer: a narrative inquiry

Many childhood cancer survivors experience long-term effects from their illness long after their treatments are over. In order to more fully understand the impact these effects have on a young person’s life, there is a need for more patient illness narratives. Using Connelly and Clandinin’s Narrative Inquiry methodology, I explored the experience of a young adult survivor of childhood cancer. My co-participant and I engaged in narrative interviews and creative self-expression activities. To reconstruct and critically examine the story of her childhood cancer experience, I used two theoretical frameworks, Erikson’s (1968) Psychosocial Stages of Development and Cellular Memory, based on Porges’ Polyvagal Theory (1995). The narrative patterns that emerge are: relationships, identity and the embodied experience. The co-participant’s story is re-presented in a letter, accompanied by a poem, addressed to healthcare professionals. Implications for healthcare practice include the need for increased sensitivity to patient’s lived experience of the illness. More specifically, there is a need for further education of healthcare professionals on the long-term effects of childhood cancer that include mind-body-spirit.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Health Sciences (MHSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Community Health

Grantor

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Thavakugathasalingam, Megalai

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Sanchez, Otto
• Schwind, Jasna

• Narrative inquiry
• Childhood cancer
• Patient illness narrative

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10155/743

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ontariotechu.scholaris.ca:10155/743