Meeting with Greg Wise:

Along our journey of making two films to encourage ‘What matters to you?’ conversations, Stgilesmedical had the pleasure of speaking to Greg Wise, a well-known actor. He kindly invited the team to his gorgeous London home where we remained COVID-19-safe by wearing masks and keeping a distance. It was inspiring to listen to Greg speak about something that he was obviously deeply passionate about. Having had the experience of caring for his sister at her end of life, Greg had strong opinions on living well until the end. This is made possible by having those conversations with family, friends, or healthcare professionals about ‘What matters to you?’.

 

Meeting with Andy Burnham:

While making two films to encourage ‘What matters to you?’ conversations, Stgilesmedical sought the voice of a politician. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester and former Health Secretary, gave up some time out of his busy schedule to meet with us over Zoom. It was important for the film to hear from someone who has power in policy making, and their views on the value of having ‘What matters to you?’ conversations in order to live life well up until the end. Talking to us from Manchester, Andy was friendly and interesting to listen to. He was enthusiastic about promoting a series of life-long conversations with family, friends, or healthcare professionals about ‘What matters to you?’, and spoke about how the importance of these have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a pleasure to meet with Andy.

 

Meeting with Sacha and Rufus:

During the making of two films to encourage ‘What matters to you?’ conversations, Stgilesmedical visited Sacha and her son, Rufus, at their farm in North Dorset. After getting lost on the country roads, the team finally arrived to find a friendly dog, a stream at the bottom of a beautiful garden, and a field beyond filled with goats. We were far from London! A few years ago, Sacha lost her son, and Rufus his brother, DD, to a brain tumour. Sacha spoke about how it was a privilege to have been able to have those conversations about what mattered most to DD. It meant that he was able to enjoy his life with his friends, family, and pets up until the end. Rufus told us that he wanted a big party at his end of life. There were a lot of laughs and cups of tea.

 

Meeting with Lucy Watts:

While Stgilesmedical was making two films to encourage ‘What matters to you?’ conversations, the team had the pleasure of meeting lots of inspiring people from across the UK. Lucy Watts MBE was particularly fun to speak to. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we were unable to visit her at her home in Essex, but thankfully we have Zoom, something that we have all become familiar with over the last 8 months. Speaking to us from her bed, Lucy explained how she is a big advocate for the life-affirming aspects of advance care planning. At 27 years old, and 10 years beyond her prognosis, she feels she has been able to live her life well after having conversations with family, friends, and healthcare professionals about what matters most to her. What mattered to Lucy at 17 is not the same as what matters to her now. She told us that she has had to revisit those conversations many times as she has grown older. Lucy spoke eloquently and with enthusiasm. It was great to meet her.