Watch their stories
Episode 1
This episode is a discussion between Ceridwen, photographer and director of this initiative, & her sister, Alison where they discussed the experience of caring for their mother in her final days. The death of Joan was the catalyst for creating the ‘What matters most?’ project.
Episode 2
Sue is 66 years old and lives in North Wales with her husband Paul. Recently, she was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, after an initial suspicion by the medical staff of being possible ovarian cancer. She spoke to Ceridwen about her wishes for herself and those around her as she approaches the end of her life.
Episode 3
Dimitar's partner Megan was diagnosed with first stage ocular melanoma before discovering, devastatingly, that it had advanced to terminal stage four. Dimitar spoke to Ceridwen about the value of the time he has to spend with Megan and how he deals with the tough times they have had and are to come.
Episode 4
At the age of just 26 years old, Megan was diagnosed with first stage ocular melanoma before finding out that it had developed to stage four and is terminal. Megan spoke to Ceridwen about how a terminal illness can put things into perspective about what matters most whilst still here and how best to spend the time she has left.
Episode 5
Philip's mum Shirley received palliative hospice care at St Kentigens’ Hospice in North Wales. Ceridwen spoke to Shirley and Philip about their experiences through life and how spending the last days in a hospice allowed them to connect more together.
Episode 6
Angie has worked for Marie Curie for nearly 6 years and loves her role. She previously worked for the NHS for 14 years in community spinal injuries and community high-dependency teams. She spoke to Ceridwen about how rewarding her role is despite sometimes being emotionally tough.
Episode 7
Dr Dan worked as a general practitioner in Mold for nearly 30 years. Through his time as a GP, he was at the centre of the local community and saw various generations of families come through his care. He spoke to Ceridwen about his experiences through the years and the care he stills feels for others.
Episode 8
Martin joined the ambulance service 11 years ago as a high-dependency operative before doing his emergency medical technician course & becoming a paramedic. He spoke to Ceridwen about his experiences of caring for end of life patients and how he finds colleagues best to support him in his role.
Episode 9
Francesca has worked in healthcare for 10 years and has worked at St. Kentigern’s Hospice for just under a year. Prior to that, she worked in oncology care and community care in various areas. She spoke to Ceridwen about the rewarding work she undertakes in order to offer support to not just those in end of life care but also their family and friends too.
Episode 10
Mary lives in Anglesey where she lived happily with her husband Mike. Mike was diagnosed with Dementia and Ceridwen recently spoke to her about life with Mike and his passing. Mary spoke about how tough it was losing the man she loved during Covid when visiting and spending time together was so restricted.
Episode 11
Barbara was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) over 40 years ago. She spoke to Ceridwen about her plans to donate her brain & spinal cord to medical science, as well as her plans for the future as she gets older.
Episode 12
Mo lives with her husband Graham in Llandrindod Wells. After being diagnosed with breast cancer she decided she would not undergo treatment with the support of her husband. Mo spoke to Ceridwen about dealing with her terminal diagnosis and how having the right pain management is invaluable.
Episode 13
Cecilia’s mum Ann died in early 2023, after being diagnosed with secondary cancer in late 2022. Ann lived in Llandrindod Wells with her husband Vic. Cecilia spoke to Ceridwen about how there was no care package in place or offered at the time with the nearest local hospice over an hour away in England.
Episode 14
Ian was diagnosed with prostate cancer just prior to the pandemic lockdown. It was a terminal diagnosis, but on speaking with his oncologist they hope that Ian will see his 70th birthday. He is soon to be 66 and spoke to Ceridwen about how the aggressiveness and severity of his diagnosis shocked him.
Episode 15
Hattie & her husband John lived on a smallholding in Powys. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer & bladder cancer John passed away in 2023 and Hattie spoke to Ceridwen about her belief that there is a huge need for education to be in place for people who are supporting and caring for dying relatives and friends.
Get involved
Collaboration is important to us. If you would be interested in hosting an exhibition, sharing your story or simply would like to chat to us, please complete this form in and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
How you can share
HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY SHOWING TELLING YOUR STORY.
Please share using the #WhatMattersMost and let’s start the conversation about the importance of end of life care.
Post your words / picture / video onto your own Facebook or Instagram profile/page with the hashtag #WhatMattersMost and tag ‘@samebutdifferentcic‘.
Tweet your words / picture /video onto your own Twitter profile with the hashtag #WhatMattersMost and tag ‘@SBDRareProject‘.
A collaborative creative project
Read more stories
Return to exhibition page
View Alison’s story