About In Your Words

“For most of my childhood I didn’t plan a future because I wasn’t sure that I’d get one with the life expectancy looming over my head…you don’t really spend much time imagining what being an adult would look like, let alone being a parent and so for a long time, having children, I didn’t really feel like something that would be part of my life…”

This collection of stories demonstrates the different shapes and forms that families can take and share how the acts of mothering, parenting and care can take on a range of roles and identities. For some it might be biological children, but we must think more creatively and broadly about what makes a family. Taking some control to choose your family connections, “making kin not babies”.

Which stories are you drawn to and why? What does the story raise for you What does it make you think about? are these things that you have considered before or are they new? Is this something you’d like to discuss further? Do you want to know more? Are there questions or reflections you’d like to share? Who would be the best person for you to talk with? Who else needs to see this story?

“even if these hard emotions come up, I think they’re necessary for, you know, moving forward in our lives and just learning more about ourselves and who we are as a whole person.”

In Your Words is a creative research project led by Anna Suschitzky, exploring whether storytelling can provide a valuable method to support people living with CF in making decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. With advances in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) therapies extending life expectancy and improving quality of life, more people with CF are now considering their reproductive choices. This shift has highlighted a critical need for good conversations around these options.

Working in collaboration with Cardiff Met University and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board the project has been funded through the Arts Humanities and Research Council.

Through a series of online workshops, people living with CF were supported to identify, shape and record their own personal stories. Working closely with illustrators, Polly Allburn and Hope Martlew-Cousins, to enhance the visual storytelling elements. Five further stories were developed by adapting traditional digital storytelling methodology in a hybrid approach to story creation.

“Hearing from others who have experienced similar thoughts, fears or emotions hasreminded me how important it is to have open conversations and shared experiences within the CF community”

There is a huge breadth and diversity of experiences around reproductive choices. We hope that these personal and emotive stories may act as a prompt for good conversation between people living with cystic fibrosis, their families and clinical teams.

 

To learn more about this project you can contact Dr Debbie Savage at Cardiff Met University dsavage@cardiffmet.ac.uk or Anna Suschitzky, a freelance storytelling facilitator and consultant.  www.linkedin.com/in/anna-suschitzky-ab8a4711a