This summer, my Leadership-in-Action project is at Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre in London. Maggie’s is connected to Charing Cross Hospital, but it does not feel like a hospital. That is kind of the whole point. It is a space for people with cancer and their families to come in, sit down, talk to someone, join a group, or just exist for a second without everything feeling so "medical".
The community I am joining is made up of cancer patients, caregivers, volunteers, and staff (nurses, therapists, and more) who genuinely care about making people feel less alone. A lot of what I do is simple, but still important. I help welcome people, make the space feel comfortable, and support the emotional side of cancer care. Sometimes that means helping someone find the right group. Sometimes it means being present and listening. At times, I paint with some of the cancer patients, and at other times, I help make food for the families of the patients. I am learning that care is not always one big dramatic thing. A lot of the time, it is small moments.
This does connect to my research last summer, even though it looks really different. Last summer, I worked in neuroscience research and studied learning, behavior, and the cerebellum. I was thinking about medicine through data, neurons, and experiments. This summer, I am seeing the human side of medicine much more directly. It is still related to health and science, but instead of asking what is happening in the brain or body, I am seeing what people need when they are actually going through something hard. I think that is why I wanted to do this project. I love research, but I also wanted to understand care outside of the lab. Maggie’s has shown me how important emotional support is, especially in cancer care. People are dealing with fear, treatment, family, uncertainty, and so much more. Having a place that feels warm and normal really matters.
For my photo, I included my room. It is very small and gets barely any sunlight, so the view from my window is pretty terrible. I am a little disappointed in the location I chose, but I do have a flatmate, Wiann Wilson, which makes it much more fun! It can get very isolating, so it nice to know that I do have a friend at home! You can also probably see what I am living off of: Buldak ramen noodles. Very student abroad core!