WeCanDays 2019 - a retrospect by Zuzana Tomášiková

Co-organised by the active survivors and myself, as Head of the Survivors’ Centre, Childhood Cancer Switzerland once again invited the survivors to the WeCanDays. The idea behind it is to get to know new people, address topics that somehow have very little place in our everyday lives in an informal way and, at the same time, find out our own limits and talents in the various workshops.

This was all incorporated in our programme for the four-day event in Vitznau. After a yoga session in the morning, the twelve survivors could choose between trying their hand at handlettering or stand-up paddling, practised their crazy golf skills on the Rigi mountain, learned lots of beatboxing tricks and enjoyed an entertaining surprise evening. A psycho-oncologist always chaired the group discussions and there was also plenty of time for private conversations. Survivors not only had access to lots of information from the Childhood Cancer Switzerland Survivors’ Centre, but for the first time also had the opportunity to personally discuss a whole range of questions and issues one afternoon with a specialist for follow-up care, Eva-Maria Tinner (MD) – senior physician at Bern University Hospital.

There was a lot of laughing throughout and everyone was keen to try out new things, but the sessions also focussed on serious topics such as fertility, partnership, fatigue and the pressure to perform. With all of these positive impressions in mind, I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to all survivors and workshop leaders for the enjoyable time as well as to the foundations and donators who made this fantastic event possible in the first place!