Living with terminal illness can cause significant distress. Yet for many, it can also be an opportunity for reflection and growth. For Trish, HammondCare’s Embrace program was a safe space to talk about what is really happening – and to find a greater sense of meaning and purpose.
A mother of six and grandmother of 15, Trish was diagnosed with non-curable oesophageal
cancer in 2018 after experiencing difficulties swallowing while on holiday.
‘Oesophageal cancer is not like breast cancer – there are no support groups, not even a
general support group at the hospital,’ she says. That's where Embrace stepped in.
The group-based therapeutic program supports people through the complex emotional, psychological and spiritual challenges of illness. Professor Melanie Lovell, HammondCare Senior Staff Specialist in Palliative Care, led the program’s development.
‘Treatment is not just about physical symptoms but looking at the whole person – what they
are experiencing and how they can draw on those experiences to focus on what’s important in life.’
Co-facilitated by Pastoral Care and Social Work teams, Embrace has so far supported more than 30 people across inpatient and community palliative care services. Sessions combine reflection, practical strategies and peer connection.
Dr Peter Archer, Head of HammondCare Pastoral Care (Healthcare & Hospitals) and Pastoral Care Research, and one of the developers of Embrace, says the program uses powerful metaphors to help participants reframe their experiences – such as the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold.
'These metaphors remind us there is always the potential for positive change and growth, even as the cracks and scars remain a part of who we are – and are becoming.'
The program has been formally evaluated with research generously funded by HammondCare Foundation, with support from the David and Judith Taylor Foundation.
For Trish, one of the most valuable aspects of the program was the chance to share her experience with openness and honesty. ‘You can’t always voice your feelings with your family … Participating in the Embrace program was a wonderfully freeing experience.’
This study evaluated the Embrace program for people with life-limiting illness across two six-week programs involving nine participants. Weekly small group sessions explored meaning and purpose. Research results indicated that:
Published in Patient Education and Counseling (2025)