Grieving the Future: Living with Life-Limiting Illness

About the event

What does it mean to grieve the end of your life? How do you cope when illness has transformed your life story, your everyday and the way you imagine a future? In this panel discussion, researcher, writer and musician Dr Astrid Joutseno/Swan and narrative scholar and writer Professor Hanna Meretoja share insights about living with breast cancer. Drawing on both personal experience and research, they explore the losses and uncertainties that can follow a life-changing diagnosis, from shifts in identity and relationships to the everyday work of living under a shortened horizon.

Astrid and Hanna are joined by psychotherapist Sophie Samuel of Therapy Works to discuss why this kind of grief is often overlooked, and what better listening and support can look like in practice. The conversation offers a thoughtful, honest space for anyone living with serious illness, supporting someone who is, or wanting language for a grief that begins long before death.