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Patient poems explore life with Cystic Fibrosis

Date published: 17 Jan 2022

Posted by: Joe Pick

Illustration of a man floating in space. The earth in is the background. An x-ray of lungs floats beneath him. Text reads 'A World Without Her'.

Enjoy these poems, written and recorded by patients at Wolfson Cystic Fibrosis Centre. Seven people who have Cystic Fibrosis took part in one to one workshops with writer Matt Miller. They used creative writing to explore their interests and life with the condition.

Illustrator Alastair Flindall worked with each patient to produce an artwork reflecting the themes of their poem. The artworks have been installed on the walls of Wolfson Cystic Fibrosis Centre.

MediaBox Productions created a series of related films. They animated Alastair’s illustrations, combining them with audio recordings of each patient reading their poem. Visitors, staff and patients can access the films via QR code. Watch them below…

‘Being Mum’ by Judy Wilkinson

Jon Lewis sadly passed away on 8 December 2021.

‘Breathe Easy’ by Jon Lewis

‘CF United’ by Dale Craine

‘I’ll Get The Bill’ by Martin Coulson

‘Letter To The CF Trio’ by Maisy Pilolli-Wall

‘Mum’ by Martin Borley-Cox

‘My Baby Boy Chance’ by Chrystal Pickering

‘Reflections Of A Plane Spotter’ by Martin Coulson

‘The Side Of Me That People Don’t Always See’ by Judy Wilkinson


About ‘Colours of Life’

‘Colours of Life’ is a partnership project between City Arts (Nottingham) and the Wolfson Cystic Fibrosis Centre. It was initiated by patients and staff at the Centre. They have worked with, and commissioned, artists to brighten the clinical environment.

The Wolfson Cystic Fibrosis Centre serves over 200 patients from across the East Midlands. Cystic Fibrosis affects the internal organs, clogging them with thick sticky mucus. Some people with Cystic Fibrosis spend a significant amount of time visiting, and staying in, hospital.

The project is funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity.