Our Story
In 2016 something hit our family and broke us. In eight short weeks our youngest son/brother Ross was diagnosed and died of melanoma skin cancer at the young age of 27. It was unexpected, terrifying, and destructive.
His misdiagnosis and the quick spread of cancer caused heartache for us all. Ross never received counselling as he was on a waiting list and well, cancer didn’t have time to wait. From this most awful of times grew a passion to help other young people in this situation, providing end of life counselling to help them not die in fear.
Often people shy away from talking about death but in all honesty it’s something every single human has in common – we will all die at some point. For the young it doesn’t seem like a reality. But when faced with being told you have a terminal illness everything comes crashing down – hopes, dreams, aspirations. Time is no longer an option.
So, our terminal illness counselling charity has been set up to give these young people rapid access to counselling at a time when it can feel difficult to cope. When you access our service, you are in control and we will go at your pace. How much you use our service is entirely up to you.
Our counsellors will help you explore and understand your emotions, fears and anxieties without judgement and what you say won’t be shared with others.
Our Trustees
Tracy Davies
Tracy is the founder of Ending Life’s Taboo. Since the death of her son, she has been passionate about challenging society’s view of death and dying with an aim of improving the quality of end of life care for young adults. Until July 2021 Tracy was a member of the North East Essex Alliance Board for Health and Wellbeing at End of Life and Chair of the Patient Participation Group. She has worked in the finance sector for around 40 years, most recently as a school business manager. In her spare time Tracy enjoys sewing, gardening and cycling.
Toni Jolin
Toni runs her own family business alongside home-schooling her two children. Her previous role as a family outreach worker found her supporting families in disadvantaged areas. Toni’s passion for helping those who are in need has always been very important to her. After witnessing the emotional pain her younger brother experienced at end of life and how traumatic this pain could be, she wanted to help provide psychological support to young people as part of their palliative and end of life care. In her free time, she enjoys family days out, caring for her animals and running.
Dr Hattie Roebuck
Dr Hattie has been a consultant in palliative medicine since 2005. She initially worked at St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, where she developed the palliative care curriculum for medical students at Barts and the Royal London. She has an interest in caring for patients from diverse and minority backgrounds. In 2016 she joined Colchester Hospital and St Helena Hospice, working closely with the neurorehabilitation team to particularly support Motor neurone and Huntington’s disease patients. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, cooking and gardening.
Dr Daria Bonanno
Dr Daria is a consultant clinical psychologist and feels it is a privilege to offer support to people at the most important and critical time in their lives. In her experience working as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in cancer and palliative care, Dr Daria has experienced how often young peoples’ emotional needs are overlooked in favour of a more medically based approach. It is hard to come to terms with the loss or potential loss of a young life, which often means that young people receive active medical treatment until the end rather than having their emotional needs met. Dr Daria strongly believes that a charity which bases its foundation on addressing the fear and anxieties associated with a life limiting condition by creating a safe therapeutic space in a clinically led environment, promotes a better holistic care.
Lucy Goodwyn
I am a qualified Financial Adviser and work for Frederick Charles Wealth Management. My passion is helping people achieve financial wellbeing. I focus on providing face-to-face advice and offer a dedicated and personalised Wealth Management service to clients across Essex and beyond. I believe in building long-term client relationships that are built on trust and professionalism and understand that every client’s financial goals and circumstances are entirely unique to the individual. On a personal level I enjoy travelling and spending time with family & friends.
Our Counsellors
"You will be in very safe hands..
Ending Life’s Taboo counsellors are very experienced and can support you with what is important to you.
You can be confident we will take great care of you with our counsellors being British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) registered and they have a wealth of experience working with palliative patients"
Tracy
Lynda Smith
Lynda is married with two sons. Before training as an Integrative Counsellor she worked in the care sector and hospitality industry for many years. It was during this time she decided to return to education as a mature student after realising her passion for caring for others and listening skills could be transferable – counselling fitted the bill. She qualified as an Integrative Counsellor in 2009 with a background firmly embedded in the provision of specialist palliative care. She now offers counselling to patients and families facing uncertainty and change while coping with many varied losses that having a life limiting illness incurs. She feels the relationship between the counsellor and client is paramount for therapeutic change to take place.
Katherine Grogan
Katherine Grogan is an integrative counsellor working in Ipswich Hospital for Ending Life’s Taboo. She also works as a counsellor, music therapist and Emotional Wellbeing Team leader at St Elizabeth Hospice working with people and their families facing a palliative diagnosis and in bereavement. She offers patients and families a confidential space to share and explore their hopes and fears, thoughts and feelings as they face loss, limitations and change.
Katherine lives with her family in the countryside around Ipswich. Family, faith, singing and sustaining relationships and connecting to nature are among the things that are most important to her.
Our Projects
Ending Life’s Taboo offers rapid access to end of life counselling to young adults aged 18 to 45 years old. The level of support we offer is driven by the young adult, recognising that everyone’s need will be different when faced with a life limiting diagnosis. Currently we are working with the ESNEFT trust at both Colchester and Ipswich Hospital. Read on to find out more.
REACHING OUT - IPSWICH HOSPITAL, ESNEFT
Following the success of our Colchester project and funding from the National Lottery, we are now also working within Ipswich Hospital to provide end of life counselling to people aged 18 to 45.
Both Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals work together under the ESNEFT trust, the largest NHS organisation in the region, making the move to offer our services at both locations a logical next step.
We are delighted by this very positive sign that our charity is meeting a gap in need, working with young adults who may not previously have received end of life counselling.
We work alongside Macmillan at the John Le Vay Centre at Ipswich Hospital.
Referrals are open to:
- Level 2 CNS
- Consultants (from all medical specialties)
- Palliative Consultants
- GP’s
- Self-referrals.
A NEW BEGINNING – COLCHESTER HOSPITAL, ESNEFT
We are proud to work within Colchester Hospital, providing rapid access to end of life counselling for young people aged 18 to 45. This is a new service not previously available at the hospital.
Ross was a patient at Colchester Hospital when he died and during his time there, we identified a gap in his care. Although his medical and palliative needs were met his psychological needs were not.
So, our charity was formed, and we have developed a service which offers young adults the mental health support they need when suddenly faced with their mortality.
Young adults often have complex psychological needs relating to aspects of their end of life diagnosis, treatment or palliative phase. Our counsellor will support them with any aspect causing them anxiety or fear. The families surrounding the young adult will also be able to access support.
We work alongside Macmillan at the Wellbeing Centre at Colchester Hospital.
Referrals are open to:
- Level 2 CNS
- Consultants (from all medical specialties)
- Palliative Consultants
- GP’s
- Self-referrals.
