tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60209735622913560182024-03-24T23:31:57.839+00:00The Christie BlogThe Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres and our five year strategy aims to enhance our world-leading status. While we have ambitions to continually grow and improve, our aims will always remain the same - to deliver the highest quality care and treatment with real patient benefits.
We are proud to provide patients with the best standards of care in a world class cancer centre.The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-24658911633635116912019-04-26T18:03:00.002+01:002019-04-29T12:01:30.451+01:00Seeing the difference a clinical trial drug can make to a patient reaffirmed the reason why I wanted to be a clinical research nurse - Elaine Blowers<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Elaine Blowers, former divisional lead research nurse at The Christie</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaine Blowers (left)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Before her recent retirement, The
Christie’s most senior research nurse and operational director for the National
Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility
(CRF) at The Christie, Elaine Blowers, shared some of her proudest moments, the
key developments she’s seen in experimental research during her career, her
reasons for getting involved in research nursing and her hopes for the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Looking back, my initial interest in clinical trials came
when I was a student nurse in Birmingham and participated as a healthy
volunteer in early phase clinical trials of cardiac drugs. I recall being
intensely monitored all day long and was given a fried breakfast to test the
effects of the drug with a fatty diet - I got paid too which helped me with my
rent!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I qualified as a registered nurse at
the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham in 1986 and worked in a number of
roles such as coronary care and acute medicine before moving hospitals and
working in oncology at the Dudley Road hospital in Handsworth, Birmingham. From
there I pursued my interest in oncology and started my science degree at the
Royal Marsden, working at both the Fulham Road and Sutton sites. I went on to
work at Mount Vernon regional cancer centre as a senior nurse manager in
oncology before moving to St Mary’s in Paddington to a take up a clinical nurse
specialist post in breast cancer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I became a Macmillan nurse specialist
for Mount Vernon and Watford General hospital before moving to the North West
in 2000 where I worked for Healthcare at Home Ltd, delivering chemotherapy and
long term treatments in patient’s homes and clinics in the North West. Through
this role, I became involved in a clinical research trial being conducted at
The Christie where part of the trial involved delivering treatment in patient’s
homes as one of the trial arms for breast cancer patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was approached by the breast cancer
research team to apply for a research nurse post and was successful. As a
breast cancer research nurse, I was part of a team that became one of the most
successful breast cancer research teams in the UK and I was one of two first
nurse advisors for the breast ncri clinical studies group. I became the breast
research nurse team leader in 2007. In 2014, I was appointed as the operational
director for the NIHR/CRUK CRF at The Christie and divisional lead research
nurse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The NIHR is the part of the NHS that
helps to fund clinical research, and the Clinical Research Facility at The
Christie is one of four centres in Manchester that have joined together to
provide integrated health research across Greater Manchester.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’m very proud to have had the
opportunity to work at The Christie. As a specialist centre, all staff are
committed to ensuring patients and their families have the best possible
experience and care. Staff are proud to work here and care for each other; they
continually look for opportunities for innovation and are supported in making
change for patients’ benefit. Walking through the hospital, people acknowledge
each other and it normally takes me quite a few minutes to get to my office in
the morning as I talk to staff and patients along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Patients at The Christie are always
pleased that they have been given the opportunity to participate in a clinical
trial as one of their treatment options. They feel special and confident being
cared for in a dedicated research centre with highly trained research staff and
receiving the best care. They hope that the trial will make a difference to
their health, although they also understand that it is a trial and therefore
may not benefit them directly but they are pleased to be able to make a
difference for their own and their children’s future and are aware that it’s
only through trials that we learn if a new treatment is better than the current
best treatment we have available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I am thrilled to have been fortunate
enough to be involved in a number of breast cancer trials where drugs from an
early phase trial have gone on to become standard care for patients, for
example, Herceptin, Perjeta and Lapatinib. This is not a daily occurrence, as
only a small number of drugs are both clinically more effective and also pass
through all the safety phases before being licensed for standard care delivery.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">One of the major breakthroughs I was
involved with back in 2003/2004, which was unprecedented, was when early
results indicated that Herceptin improved outcomes for early breast cancer. It
was a very rewarding experience and reaffirmed the reason why I wanted to be a
clinical research nurse - to make a difference to patients’ outcomes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Since 2017 when NIHR/CRUK Christie CRF
, NIHR/Wellcome Trust Manchester CRF and
NIHR South Manchester Respiratory and Allergy CRF came together to form the NIHR Manchester CRF,
I have played a key role in driving the successful integration of the
Manchester CRF. This collaborative bid for NIHR funding, which brought the previous
CRFs in Manchester together under one single management structure, has helped
to create the largest (and hopefully most influential) NIHR CRF in the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was also delighted to have helped organise
the UKCRF annual conference in Manchester in 2016. The conference was the first
time that the Manchester CRFs came together to work collaboratively before the
formal bid to become one Manchester CRF. I played a key role in winning the
open competition to host it in Manchester along with Professor Andrew Wardley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Looking back, I’ve seen a lot of
changes over the years. There has been an increase in the complexity of
delivering experimental cancer medicine trials and the science behind them
since I started. And whilst the increasing number of trials for personalised
medicine and targeted treatments is wonderful for the patients who are
eligible, it brings its own challenges of screening large volumes of patients
to find the right patient with an identified mutation and then to receive the
appropriate treatment for this in the context of a trial. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’ve also seen a big increase in
digitalisation at a number of levels in clinical research, from using IT to set
up and conduct clinical trials to the use of IT devices by patients to inform
decisions whilst participating in experimental cancer medicine trials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">One of the most rewarding changes has
been that clinical research nursing has been recognised as a speciality in
nursing in its own right – and now has its own clinical research nursing
strategy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I‘m really going to miss the wonderful
staff that I have had the privilege to work with over many years - especially
the clinical research nurses who demonstrate such commitment and passion for
this very specialised complex area of nursing on a daily basis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Looking ahead, I’m leaving behind an
amazing team. The redesign and reconfiguration of the Manchester CRF facilities
at The Christie in 2017/18 have ensured that patients now have a dedicated
reception area and there is a big increase in space for experimental trial
delivery. Thousands of patients will benefit from this fantastic facility in
future years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Moreover, I hope that a growing number
of patients will have access to experimental cancer medicine trials and to clinical
trials closer to their home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I also hope that the NIHR Manchester
CRF will go from strength to strength and continue to be the most successful
and largest CRF in the UK, in addition to receiving growing international
recognition for the superb work being done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It’s been a
privilege to work at The Christie and to help so many fantastic and inspiring
patients.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Patients can
learn more about clinical trials at <a href="http://www.christie.nhs.uk/professionals/research/clinical-trials/taking-part-in-clinical-trials/"><span style="color: blue;">www.christie.nhs.uk/professionals/research/clinical-trials/taking-part-in-clinical-trials/</span></a>
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-34922953566913496502019-03-26T15:07:00.000+00:002019-03-26T15:15:28.796+00:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Why it’s so important to talk about genomics </i></span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fiona Blackhall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fiona Blackhall - Manchester Cancer clinical director of genomics and honorary consultant in medical oncology at The Christie</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Earlier this month, Health Education England, through the Genomics Education Programme, launched its second annual #GenomicsConversation week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Here in Greater Manchester, we are pledging to continue the conversation by ensuring that we work together to embed genomic medicine into our cancer pathways. It is vitally important that our whole clinical community are able to talk to patients and their family about the growing role of genomics in treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Greater Manchester Cancer (our cancer alliance) has pledged their support, in our GM Cancer Plan for 2017-2021. One of the ways they are doing this is by developing a Genomic Pathway Board which will lead the adoption of genomic medicine in cancer pathways across Manchester. The board will comprise of experts from pathology, oncology, research and the Manchester Genomic Centre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The aim is to:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Create road maps for clinical staff to follow with standardised procedures (from requesting a sample to delivering the report to the patient)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Create educational tools for patients and clinical staff to raise awareness and increase understanding of genomic testing and how it can improve outcomes for patients<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Work to ensure all patients across Greater Manchester have equitable access to genomic testing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Following on from the incredible work of the 100,000 Genome Project, which proved that genomic testing can work in a routine clinical setting, we will work together to embed this into routine care for our patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The 100,000 Genome Project laid the foundations for an NHS Genomic Medicine Service which is currently being rolled out across the entire NHS. Within Greater Manchester, we will use the learnings from trials such as the 100,000 Genomes Project to bring genomic testing to the forefront of routine clinical care for our patients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Genomic testing can help us to change the way we treat cancer by providing a more detailed diagnosis and personalising treatment for patients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">As a clinical community, working in cancer across the whole of Greater Manchester, we pledge to ensure that we utilise the potential of genomic technology to improve the health of our population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-52628337496948302382019-02-19T00:33:00.002+00:002019-02-19T00:33:25.586+00:00Protons coming home to Manchester - Hazel Pennington<h2>
<span style="color: #666666;">Hazel Pennington, The Christie</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hazel Pennington</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">I wasn’t around when Ernest Rutherford first discovered protons at Manchester University in the early twentieth century. However, 100 years later I have the privilege and amazing opportunity to be involved in developing the first UK NHS high energy national proton service at The Christie in Manchester.</span></div>
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My journey started in 2014 as the lead radiographer in the project. In fact, I was the only radiographer for a few years. This may have been viewed as a challenge in a profession where we usually work in radiographic teams, but I thrived on the opportunity to work closely with other professions. </div>
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Initially, I worked with the clinical lead, a consultant clinical oncologist, the head of physics and the lead engineer. We all got to know each well after many hours spent together in meetings, on trains to London, on long-haul flights to conferences and overseas hospitals, and evenings out in a new city talking about what we had seen and learnt that day about protons and our vision for the future. Unbelievably, we all still get along!<o:p></o:p></div>
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As well as my clinical and physics tag team, I worked with project managers, lawyers and the finance department to acquire the proton equipment. Proton equipment procurement has a reputation for litigation, and for some countries, legal challenges have significantly delayed their progress. The team worked hard to ensure a smooth process and to avoid legal challenges. The learning curve was huge and I was often in overdrive: not only were protons new to me, but the project processes were also new.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Next to learn about were concrete and cranes! Who would have thought as a student radiographer that 25 years later I would be discussing the logistics of the crane size needed to get an 90-tonne cyclotron (the bit of equipment that generates the actual protons) into place and how we needed part of the external wall removing on the first floor to get the MRI scanner into place as it was too large for the corridors. I now know what a ‘crane oversailing license’ is (a license allowing a tower crane to oversail property adjoining the site) and that a ‘joggle joint’ ensures each concrete element locks together securely to prevent radiation leakage at stop ends. I spent many an hour with architects, engineers, the construction team and designers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Did I lose sight of the patient in all this project work, I hear you ask? I hope not. I created a patient representative group of patients, from children to octogenarians and their carers, who had received proton therapy overseas. They blew me away. I can’t find the words to describe how incredible they were. They gave up their free time to explain what it was like being away from home for a couple of months for treatment, the best type of accommodation, how to keep up with school work, ideas for how the centre should feel and look, and the best types of patient information. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We took all this vital information on board and have hopefully created a patient-centred service, which includes every patient having a named key worker (specialist nurse or radiographer) who telephones patients before they arrive for their first appointment (talking was the best type of patient information). </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd_JUQUZONKClSeKjtYXK5Rj4tu2Z9zXi2jKGe9OS3BJRHAN8Fbx8pQFmBCk3K6M0180RGo5TfrtPaSLrxozjANkQFHZlOX7ZarhiGx2HZpdBgEjgh20fB66mEbBzVox0EqWYwwsE9gVa/s1600/CH002204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd_JUQUZONKClSeKjtYXK5Rj4tu2Z9zXi2jKGe9OS3BJRHAN8Fbx8pQFmBCk3K6M0180RGo5TfrtPaSLrxozjANkQFHZlOX7ZarhiGx2HZpdBgEjgh20fB66mEbBzVox0EqWYwwsE9gVa/s400/CH002204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Only this week, I was gratified to hear that one of our five-year-old proton patients on his first visit said the centre was the ‘best place ever’ and he couldn’t wait to come back next week to show his mum. Ultimately, everything we do as healthcare professionals should be about the patient.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do I feel now the service is operational? Exhausted! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seriously, first and foremost I am immensely proud of everyone who worked tirelessly to start the service. The success of the project has been down to the hard work and collaborative working of the whole team. It is one of the aspects of the project, and now operational service, that I enjoy the most. We have a close team, not only of radiographers, physicists and doctors but of nurses, theatre practitioners, anaesthetists, support workers, secretaries, play specialists, allied health professionals, social workers, MDT co-coordinators, complementary therapists, governance officers and domestic staff. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They are all, without exception, brilliant. I have a huge amount of knowledge and respect for the other professions. I’ve learnt a lot from my co-workers and I take great pride in calling them, my colleagues.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-78467184293609607752019-01-03T12:00:00.000+00:002019-01-03T12:00:03.854+00:00The ‘C’ Word - Richard Jackson<br />
<h2 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Richard Jackson, Christie cancer survivor</span></h2>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhhrBswhlrx3n_Xe-263l5gn3W3aT0X2R0AbtAi3-1Sfe1UMSvrfOrqGIXZknj65jsip9HmGJ2rEXe8GnXTNchy4mEJYtbxUedrdOHJ7OhmTNpoxrViWRJbCjvw8qzjHIZpENd9PL61Jq/s1600/Richard+Jackson+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhhrBswhlrx3n_Xe-263l5gn3W3aT0X2R0AbtAi3-1Sfe1UMSvrfOrqGIXZknj65jsip9HmGJ2rEXe8GnXTNchy4mEJYtbxUedrdOHJ7OhmTNpoxrViWRJbCjvw8qzjHIZpENd9PL61Jq/s320/Richard+Jackson+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Richard Jackson</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">There are
some words that are always hard to hear, let alone say, but for many of us,
living with cancer is a reality we can’t avoid. Conversations with the ‘C’ word
are inevitable.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">When I was
diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma (a type of skin cancer) I was offered
the opportunity to join a clinical trial at The Christie. There were no other
alternatives to treat my cancer at this advanced stage, so it wasn’t a
difficult choice to make. If the trial wasn’t going to benefit me, perhaps some
of the findings would help to develop more effective treatments in the future.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">My initial trial
was unsuccessful, the treatment I was taking had reduced the swelling in my
lymph nodes in my neck, however the tumours around my body, just under my skin,
were growing both in size and number.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The next
conversation I had with the specialist registrar was probably the hardest I’ve
ever had to have. The bare facts were presented to me and as far as he could
see there was nothing else that could possibly be done. In his words, “It was
time to face my own mortality.” </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">What is
amazing about being a Christie patient is the fact that the doctors, nurses and
other support staff don’t give up easily. They gave me the hope to try and face
my future and find other options that might be beneficial. I was still strong
physically and prepared to consider whatever could help me remain an active
part of my wife and young family’s lives for as long as possible.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The chance to
use a new style of cancer treatment was offered to me, an immunotherapy drug.
It had been on trial at The Christie, but I was allowed access to it as a
therapy. I really needed to have the comfort that I had tried everything so I
jumped at the chance to trial the new drug.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Incredibly, within
24 hours of my first treatment, my tumours had reacted and changed. They were
no longer dark and sinister but had changed to a flushed red. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">My wife is
still convinced she watched a large tumour in my neck slowly reduce as we sat
watching a film. Not wanting to get carried away, we visited my consultant, I
remember explaining what we could see, and saying, ‘I don’t want to get too
excited, but…’</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJd2k8Ksj0X5FACiSJmyETKUUEfWwvvE_ZZdtA9A4MievymjXmck0zWVo9ujlpVUbkLRhVLAknBD7OOFbJi49sZFrPA4SQM4EtBXOPqNOvZ_7uJ2YYVL2yXTCEzebkEcXNNG8G_se2d5Y0/s1600/Richard+Jackson+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="710" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJd2k8Ksj0X5FACiSJmyETKUUEfWwvvE_ZZdtA9A4MievymjXmck0zWVo9ujlpVUbkLRhVLAknBD7OOFbJi49sZFrPA4SQM4EtBXOPqNOvZ_7uJ2YYVL2yXTCEzebkEcXNNG8G_se2d5Y0/s320/Richard+Jackson+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The response,
once the evidence of my tumours reducing was obvious to my consultant, is one
I’ll never forget: “Let’s all get very excited.” </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Five cycles
of treatment later, and after enduring some unpleasant side effects, I was
clear of cancer. The last of my treatments was on my 40th birthday,
in 2008. This year I celebrated my 50th birthday with my family, 10
years cancer free and living a normal life.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Thanks to The
Christie, the ‘C’ word I can use now with confidence isn’t cancer, it’s cured.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"> </span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-55901325521232181392018-12-24T13:52:00.000+00:002018-12-24T13:52:01.106+00:00Christmas at The Christie - Michael Seaton<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael Seaton, Christie patient</span></h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDSrxyM3VPO63uOxMNB9FIjpAPyh7W78s4CZvbJ7QDEsu7c64_TaHWl53VjEQflDVTNcN1B1pYFUNdaKuLg3Fwo7Yyp7AVREp2Uij5dkcQ8w45Up3Tk8n7YGuC2lRO-b1YSOHd_hgJIxF/s1600/michael_seaton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1148" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDSrxyM3VPO63uOxMNB9FIjpAPyh7W78s4CZvbJ7QDEsu7c64_TaHWl53VjEQflDVTNcN1B1pYFUNdaKuLg3Fwo7Yyp7AVREp2Uij5dkcQ8w45Up3Tk8n7YGuC2lRO-b1YSOHd_hgJIxF/s320/michael_seaton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael Seaton</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In December 2013
I was diagnosed with late stage 2 non-seminoma testicular cancer and bizarrely
I was not surprised.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had an
obvious lump, but I had never mentioned this to my GP, mainly due to
embarrassment and worrying about having to take time off work - both fairly
stupid reasons with hindsight. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I had
told him about were some of my other symptoms, like shortness of breath, sudden
weight loss, abdominal pain not unlike irritable bowel syndrome, difficulty keeping
food down and what seemed like a kidney stone.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had tried
various medications to tackle these with varying degrees of success. My GP eventually
referred me to the gastroenterology unit at Macclesfield District General
Hospital, for a double endoscopy/colonoscopy session, something I was <u>not</u>
looking forward to. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately,
someone at Macclesfield had the bright idea of putting me through a CT scanner.
I presumably ‘lit up like fairy lights on a Christmas tree’, judging by the
phone calls I had later that day in quick succession to cancel the
endoscopy/colonoscopy (phew!) and arrange an appointment with a urologist to
sort out an orchidectomy. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eight days
later, I was on the operating table at Stepping Hill hospital to have the
primary tumour and my left testicle removed. The original plan was for me to go
home the following day and recover over Christmas before starting chemotherapy
in the New Year. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately,
my secondary tumours had other ideas. What should have been an overnight stay
turned into four days with infections making me rather unwell and not fit to
return home. One of the tumours was partially blocking my left kidney, which
meant having a nephrostomy (a narrow tube) inserted into my side to help drain
it. The stoma bag surrounding the tube needed replacing every couple of days or
so, which meant this was the bane of my existence for six months! The
antibiotics I received to deal with the infections also gave me candida (oral
thrush), which made eating quite difficult.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clearly I was
not doing very well and a decision was made that my chemotherapy could not wait
until 2014 and I had to have some as soon as possible. So on a wet and chilly
Monday morning, I was put into a wheelchair and bundled into an ambulance.
About twenty minutes later, I was helped into The Christie, which (as it turned
out) would be as near to a second home as I would get for the following four
months or so. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was going
to receive a three-day course of some EP (cisplatin and etoposide) chemotherapy
to start attacking the troublesome secondary tumours. This would be a stopgap
before I started the main 5-day BEP (bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin) regimen
in mid-January.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far so good,
but there was one problem! The first day of this three-day EP course would be
24<sup>th</sup> December. I therefore had to stay in The Christie for Christmas
Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day … no family Christmas at home for me in 2013.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst being
in hospital over Christmas is clearly nobody’s first choice, it was actually
not so bad an experience. All of the people working at The Christie – the
nurses, the cleaners, the doctors – were very nice and sympathetic, helping me
through the chemotherapy itself and various other treatments beforehand and
afterwards. Even while I was hooked up to my chemotherapy drugs on Christmas
Day, everyone there helped cheer me up. Not only did I get a turkey dinner (even
though the candida meant I was unable to eat very much of it), I was also given
some shower gel and deodorant as an additional Christmas present. Being hooked
up to a drip machine for most of my visit meant I could hardly use them while I
was there, but it was the thought that counted.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The normally
quite liberal visiting hours – 12 noon to 8pm each day apart from protected
mealtimes – were also extended to essentially 24 hours during the Christmas
period to make it easier for people from further away to visit. This was an
absolute godsend for my family – some of whom had come from as far afield as Lancaster,
Suffolk and Dubai – and it meant that they could visit me at least twice a day
to keep me company. I later learned that my family were understandably not in
the mood for a full Christmas dinner on the big day itself, which they postponed
in favour of a stir-fry!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like a lot of
people from my generation, I rely on being connected to the Internet for
entertainment and keeping in touch with people, which is why The Christie’s
free wifi was so useful while I was stuck in bed. I only had my trusty iPhone
and a charger with me – I had not intended to be in the hospital for quite so
long, so I had not brought in my laptop – but this was enough to keep up with
emails when I could concentrate, and to play games when I couldn’t. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The EP
chemotherapy did indeed help improve things. The abdominal pains almost
completely stopped and, when I could actually eat, I was able to keep my food
down. I still had to stay an extra five days to deal with some residual stuff,
such as a blood transfusion to help boost my iron levels, filgrastim injections
to try and boost my white blood cell count and waiting for a rash on my back to
clear caused by a newly-discovered allergy to allopurinol. After all of that, I
was finally discharged on New Year’s Eve and I saw 2014 start at home with my
family.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately,
my next visit to The Christie was considerably sooner than I expected. I had to
be readmitted about 24 hours after I had left due to an infection while still
neutropenic, possibly because the top of an impacted wisdom tooth had broken off
(I had visited an emergency dentist and an out-of-hours GP, all to no avail). </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time
around, I had to be put into a side-room in one of the wards to prevent
infecting other vulnerable patients and be attached to an antibiotic drip.
Fortunately, the antibiotics managed to work well enough to allow my white
blood cell count to recover and I was able to return home a week later. This coincided
with my birthday, so being allowed to go home again was the best birthday
present I could have wished for!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rest of
my 5-day BEP chemotherapy sessions were less fraught than the EP cycle I had at
Christmas. I was better prepared for my four 21-day cycles. Not only could
friends finally come to visit whenever I was there, I was also able to bring in
my laptop to give me something to do while the drugs were being put through me.
I work as a computational scientist for one of the UK’s research councils, so I
was able to do a little bit of programming and catch up on reading research
articles while receiving chemotherapy as an in-patient. The candida also cleared
up thanks to mouthwashes, so I could actually eat the various meals available.
Fish and chips on Friday lunchtimes were my favourite. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Annoyingly, I
gained some kind of infection each time I was neutropenic and had to return to
The Christie (always on Day 10 of each cycle) to be given antibiotics and allow
my immune system to recover. I reckon I must have visited every single ward and
most of the side-rooms in The Christie! My hair also fell out, so I had to
start wearing hats to keep my head warm.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More
positively, I met quite a few other patients being treated for various forms of
cancer, including someone else who lived in my hometown. The doctors and nurses
were as nice and helpful as they had been at Christmas, telling me how well the
chemotherapy was working (very well indeed) and helping me deal with its
various side-effects. I had my last top-up of bleomycin in early April 2014 and
since then I have only had to come in as an outpatient for scans and check-ups,
as well as removing the nephrostomy (hurrah!). My cancer has not returned since
the end of my treatment and I am almost certainly in remission. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That
memorable Christmas has made me more grateful of how hard doctors and nurses at
hospitals like The Christie work, especially when most people are having a
peaceful time with their families (as I certainly will be this year).</span></span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-36819910403223686892018-11-13T15:05:00.000+00:002018-11-13T15:05:23.736+00:00My experience of having breast cancer has been an education in patience, humility and gratitude<h2>
Victoria Lavin</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cxs-rqg1zccO2dvqZ9-nOPDCQNf0HfEvpSYymuOBrqbVeV6qXOOE0AyrfkzONY4czmvj86P1zsNiS91G3NwEFQyIjftJ5Lh7KrpzpM2kV1dw4dW3D62Ym5cyzZlapzKR1nYjEFqDdWQP/s1600/Victoria+Lavin+blog+main+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cxs-rqg1zccO2dvqZ9-nOPDCQNf0HfEvpSYymuOBrqbVeV6qXOOE0AyrfkzONY4czmvj86P1zsNiS91G3NwEFQyIjftJ5Lh7KrpzpM2kV1dw4dW3D62Ym5cyzZlapzKR1nYjEFqDdWQP/s320/Victoria+Lavin+blog+main+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">I'm an oncologist at The Christie. In August 2017, during the last month of my maternity leave, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My experience of being on the other side of the consultation desk will shape my future career and it has helped me to understand what goes on for patients. It has been an education in patience, humility and gratitude.</span><br />
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I learned that cancer is not a battle, hair loss does matter, and even doctors like me can’t prepare for the effects of chemotherapy.<br />
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Initially, I was plagued by memories of the patients I had discharged home or to the hospice for end-of-life care. Thankfully they are few – but they are the ones I remember.<br />
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First, there were the well-meaning stock phrases which I myself had so often used as a doctor:<br />
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“You’re so brave; you can fight this”. Really? Yesterday I was a 34-year-old clinical oncology trainee and mum of two, and today I’m a professional cancer warrior? Cancer didn’t feel like a fight to me and I won’t be asking my patients to go into battle in future.<br />
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I have prescribed countless cycles of chemotherapy throughout my career, but still, there were some surprises. For example, intravenous dexamethasone given for nausea makes your bottom tingle when administered. Subcutaneous filgrastim to boost white cell production stings if you give it straight from the fridge.<br />
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The biggest ego-bruising revelation was learning who makes the difference. As the doctor prescribing the treatment I always felt my role was the most crucial. For the patient, however, it’s the healthcare assistant who smiles when you walk in and gets you seen on time; the volunteer who brings you a cup of tea; the complementary therapist who offers reflexology and a chat during treatment; and the nurse who gets the cannula in at the first attempt.<br />
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Embracing the new world of turban tying helped me to feel confident with my radically different appearance<br />
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I had never visited the Maggie’s centre at The Christie as a doctor, but soon discovered a welcome haven for myself, my friends and family away from the bustle of the hospital.<br />
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Hair loss is something we often gloss over in busy clinics. I have been guilty of simply handing over a wig leaflet as the patient walks out of the door. It matters. It changes a person’s whole identity. I worried what my children would think and that it made me look like a victim. In the end, my daughter said: “Mummy, you’ve got no hair like Grandad Pete” and carried on making her Disney princess puzzle. For me, a recommendation from a colleague for a local hijab stylist was a game-changer. Embracing the new world of turban tying and styling helped me to feel confident with my radically different appearance, look less like Grandad Pete and keep that victim behind closed doors.<br />
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It was no surprise that chemotherapy was gruelling. The first part of the treatment was predictable, but it was tough trying to fit housework, spending time with family and friends and exercising into the three days I felt well.<br />
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The second half of the process was a treatment affectionately known as the ‘red devil’ among cancer bloggers. Four hours after the infusion I felt an overwhelming need to lie down and sleep. Such extreme tiredness that brings you to tears is something I hadn’t experienced before. Giving patients permission to be kind to themselves in the first few days after treatment and not expecting to function anywhere near normally is something I will take back to the clinic.<br />
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There was just time after the final cycle to recover and begin preparing for surgery. Finding out that post-surgery bras are VAT exempt felt like a considerate concession from the government and high street retailers – and another tip to pass on to patients.<br />
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After surgery, I was very pleased to receive a physiotherapy leaflet in my pre-operative assessment and an invitation to a group session to ensure that arm movement was maintained. With scarring, the arm can become stiff. There was no way I was going to be that patient who couldn’t get their arm above their head and into the treatment position for radiotherapy. Thankfully the militant physiotherapy paid off and my radiotherapy planning scan went without a hitch.<br />
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I have heard the end of treatment bells ringing out in the department over the last three years and I have sometimes offered a clap or cheer if I was passing. As I rang the end of treatment bell for myself, I appreciated what it is to do so. The concept of the bell is a fantastic innovation, brought back to the UK from the USA by a family who had been there for proton beam therapy treatment and set up their own charity. The bell helps many patients mark the end of their gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.<br />
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For me, the bell also marked the start of my transition from being a patient back to being a doctor. As a result of my experiences I hope I can appreciate more what patients go through and understand what a difference all the dedicated and caring members of the NHS machine make to the patient experience, despite all the pressures they face.<br />
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Victoria Lavin is a clinical oncology trainee working at The Christie. She tweets @vjplested<br />
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-37245854936988903232018-11-01T20:37:00.001+00:002018-11-01T20:37:40.992+00:00We have demonstrated that modern radiotherapy is safe and effective in carefully selected older patients with small-cell lung cancer<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Professor Corinne Faivre-Finn</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVRG9_E3AC1YK2oG9URNCEQ1ja49EBthC9At1_Hbt_03kBJK_QsUzBW6Z7c8LckljZxAhkVZQFRyLqhcp9sgZi7ug2D5ABZB-tvkkDkP3_-pNuBvSnAWKXpHarvkHsZtTBOMMZJh9-Q1K/s1600/Corinne_Faivre-Finn+May+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVRG9_E3AC1YK2oG9URNCEQ1ja49EBthC9At1_Hbt_03kBJK_QsUzBW6Z7c8LckljZxAhkVZQFRyLqhcp9sgZi7ug2D5ABZB-tvkkDkP3_-pNuBvSnAWKXpHarvkHsZtTBOMMZJh9-Q1K/s320/Corinne_Faivre-Finn+May+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s been an exciting few months recently as my colleagues and I at The Christie, collaborating with researchers throughout the world, have made some important discoveries relating to the treatment of older patients with small-cell lung cancer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Small-cell lung cancer is a type of cancer that we diagnose in around 13% of all people with lung cancer. This type of cancer tends to spread quite quickly and many of our patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Unfortunately, despite a lot of advances in the field, survival rates have not significantly improved. To address this challenge, my team and I at The Christie have been doing research aiming to find better treatment options for these patients.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week, <a href="https://www.iaslc.org/news/concurrent-chemo-radiotherapy-should-be-treatment-option-elderly-patients-limited-stage-sclc" target="_blank">The Journal of Thoracic Oncology</a> has published the age analysis of the CONVERT trial which specifically looks at the outcomes of older patients in the trial compared to those of younger patients.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The CONVERT trial was an international clinical trial in which 547 patients with small-cell lung cancer that had not spread outside the chest, received radiotherapy delivered either twice-daily over three weeks (standard treatment) or once-daily at a higher dose over six and a half weeks (experimental treatment). All participating patients received standard chemotherapy together with radiotherapy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trial recruited patients from the UK, France, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Canada and the Netherlands and closed in November 2013. We have been analysing the results ever since and the publication this week is a very important step forward in our knowledge of the disease and the best way to treat it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The results showed similar survival times and side effects from treatment in both radiotherapy groups. However, these results were much more favourable compared to previous studies that did not use modern radiotherapy techniques. We concluded that twice-daily radiotherapy should remain the standard treatment, but once-daily treatment could be offered in cases where twice-daily radiotherapy is not available or where there are logistical challenges.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A large proportion of the patients we see in our clinics are over the age of 70. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of robust information coming out of clinical trials regarding which treatment options are safe and effective in older patients. In the past, patients above the age of 70 or 75 have typically been excluded from clinical trials. This was mainly because of strict criteria excluding patients with a number of additional medical conditions or those on a lot of medications. The lack of information makes it more difficult for both the patients and their doctors to reach the best possible treatment decisions. With this in mind, we looked at the outcomes of patients that were 70 years old and above, who participated in CONVERT, and compared them to those of patients younger than 70.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My colleague <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/2039829899_Marianna_Christodoulou" target="_blank">Dr Marianna Christodoulo</a>u has been instrumental in analysing these results. Her work identified that out of 490 patients in total, 67 were 70 years old and above. The results in this age group were very promising, demonstrating similar survival times and side effects from treatment between the older and younger groups. Encouragingly, the proportion of patients in the older group that had life-threatening infections, needed to stay in hospital or have blood transfusions was not significantly higher compared to those in the younger group.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The CONVERT trial is the largest randomised trial to date investigating treatment combining modern radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with small-cell lung cancer that has not spread outside the chest. Being able to demonstrate that these treatment options are possible, safe and effective in older patients in the context of this trial will influence clinical practice, and benefit older patients with this disease in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps the most important take-home message of this analysis should be that selecting patients for such intense treatments should be very careful. In this study, most patients in the older group who tolerated treatment did not have any other significant medical conditions or restrictions on their daily activities. In patients who are less fit, more information is needed as to which treatment options are best and firm conclusions cannot be drawn at the moment. Furthermore, only three patients in CONVERT were above the age of 80, preventing us from making treatment recommendations for this group. The design of more clinical trials that specifically look at the outcomes of older patients will be an important step for further research.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr Christodoulou and I are very pleased with the results of the study and the interest shown amongst the lung cancer research community. We would like to thank everyone involved in the CONVERT trial for their tireless, hard work and dedication.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr Christodoulou presented this work in 2016 at the 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer and won the Heine Hansen Lectureship Award. This was a fantastic tribute in recognition of the hard work the CONVERT trial team has put into this large collaborative project.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and was developed with, set-up and co-ordinated by the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre Clinical Trials Unit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visit <a href="http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/find-a-clinical-trial/a-study-to-find-the-best-way-to-give-radiotherapy-for-people-with-small-cell-lung-cancer">www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/find-a-clinical-trial/a-study-to-find-the-best-way-to-give-radiotherapy-for-people-with-small-cell-lung-cancer</a> for more information about the CONVERT trial and visit <a href="http://www.christie.nhs.uk/professionals/research/clinical-trials/">www.christie.nhs.uk/professionals/research/clinical-trials/</a>for information about clinical trials at The Christie.</span><br />
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-15479765427834764172018-10-22T15:15:00.002+01:002018-10-22T15:15:53.147+01:00We have worked hard to take our Outpatients department from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ but this is just the beginning - Olivia Samuel
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Olivia Samuel, lead operational nurse</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYGfh4lR2P-AejYiVzRF20qmKlKOKBjRiXjJEIwmESJN94KzM2lxW2lyGoxrGIo9RaHaxPyXv7sEMEHDjmnu90JWMN-vNwfT63CLWI5nBTA0flaZqIlaGZy8D4bGxAcLx-d3EgAHgMsJR/s1600/Olivia+Samuel_17091421_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1600" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYGfh4lR2P-AejYiVzRF20qmKlKOKBjRiXjJEIwmESJN94KzM2lxW2lyGoxrGIo9RaHaxPyXv7sEMEHDjmnu90JWMN-vNwfT63CLWI5nBTA0flaZqIlaGZy8D4bGxAcLx-d3EgAHgMsJR/s320/Olivia+Samuel_17091421_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666;">Last Friday, The Christie heard that we had been rated
as an Outstanding trust by the health regulator, The Care Quality Commission
(CQC).<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In amongst this detailed report, we found out that the
outpatient service had improved from Good on a previous inspection to
Outstanding this time, I was absolutely delighted with this both personally and
for my team.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is a true reflection of how dedicated our staff are
at providing outstanding care to our outpatients every day. The outpatient team
has worked hard and has consistently tried to improve services since the
previous inspection in 2016 when it was rated Good. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Over the past year, we have worked diligently as a
team to be the best we can be and try to lead the way in outstanding,
compassionate care. We are particularly proud that the CQC found the outpatient
service to be very responsive to patients and well-led, giving these areas of
focus the highest possible Outstanding rating. These are both areas that have
undergone some of the biggest changes. .</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As a team, we were proud to showcase the work we have
been doing with patients to improve the services in the department and gain
their feedback for opening our new unit. We also had the opportunity to show
inspectors our exciting new facilities that will open shortly.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My personal passion for outpatients came following
treatment that I received from this hospital in 2016 for breast cancer. I had
worked in the hospital for 12 years within the inpatient setting and until this
point had been unaware of the extent of the activity that happens in the
outpatient setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As I stepped into the hospital as a patient, I was
surprised and overwhelmed at how scared I felt. How could I feel so lost in a
place where I knew my way around and knew so many people? How could I be so
scared of the treatments and symptoms that I regularly reassured people about?
My amazing colleagues wrapped their arms around me and carried me through it
all, but not because I was a colleague, it was because they cared and wanted to
do this for every patient. Compassion and care are embedded in all the staff.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My family liked to joke that I was given cancer to be
The Christie hospital’s ‘secret shopper’, just a very extreme experiment to
evaluate the service! But this was actually a good coping strategy and when the
matron role became vacant in outpatients, it became the perfect opportunity to
turn the extreme experiment into positive action. I could use my experience of
visiting six different hospitals and over 30 different departments to lead The
Christie’s busy outpatients department and help to improve it from Good to
Outstanding.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As a department, we felt very determined to prove to
the CQC how we believed the department had improved.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For me, outpatients became one of the most important
parts of the hospital, the place where I received the most significant news
throughout my treatments. The place where I can still remember word for word
what people said, the expressions they used, the rooms I sat waiting in and the
thoughts that all those things provoked. Outpatients’ is the place that
provides the first impression of the amazing care that is given, it’s the place
that trust is built upon, and the place where we need to get it right every
time, for every patient, to make a horrible time easier for our patients.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Thank you and well done to everyone <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who has helped us achieve this outstanding
rating, including the valuable feedback from our patients.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You can read more about the ongoing redevelopment of
the outpatients department at <a href="http://www.christie.nhs.uk/about-us/our-future/our-developments/our-new-outpatients/"><span style="color: blue;">www.christie.nhs.uk/about-us/our-future/our-developments/our-new-outpatients/</span></a>
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-24597235847181277262018-09-17T16:24:00.000+01:002018-09-17T21:54:03.584+01:00April 2013 vs April 2018 - Nicola Stewart<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Nicola Stewart - Christie fundraiser</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">In April 2013, I was in a bit of a mess. I was six months pregnant with our third child, Eliza, my husband and I should have been shopping blissfully for baby grows and painting the nursery with the same ecstatic excitement we’d felt when I was carrying James and Maisie, then five and two years old.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrzJpwLr1yF7v9Gnnds3aAmKTyyCfJUnNlIP5jRn0doFtv-utnhOCa5akQtOoo4Xkbik6Ixp2A2_EJdQzGfli0PfKDjbnYONkJZyDPvU3Bwq2xk4qaBZ7lSFj1nFPCmGmN1BwEsq1Uu5-/s1600/Nicola+Stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrzJpwLr1yF7v9Gnnds3aAmKTyyCfJUnNlIP5jRn0doFtv-utnhOCa5akQtOoo4Xkbik6Ixp2A2_EJdQzGfli0PfKDjbnYONkJZyDPvU3Bwq2xk4qaBZ7lSFj1nFPCmGmN1BwEsq1Uu5-/s320/Nicola+Stewart.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">However, our third pregnancy had been spoilt in a way we could never have imagined, not even in our worst of nightmares.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In the previous month, I had been told I had cervical cancer. I had cervical cancer and I was pregnant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I had had undiagnosed vaginal bleeding since the very early days of my pregnancy. We had rushed down to the Early Pregnancy Unit at the local hospital terrified that we were miscarrying this tiny life, who was barely days old. Ultrasound scans on a weekly basis for the first 12 weeks provided relief each week as our third child grew and seemed to be completely oblivious to all the anxiety we were experiencing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Since a clear smear test 18 months previously, medical staff dismissed cervical cancer as a cause for the bleeds. We were told that “sometimes women just bleed in pregnancy”. Then, when I was around 24 weeks pregnant, another bleed occurred, and I sought reassurance that our baby was ok through a visit to the ante-natal unit. Hearing a heartbeat put our minds at rest. Following what had become a routine internal examination, a doctor I’d never seen before said it looked like I had a polyp and took a sample from my cervix.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Within a couple of days, I was asked to come back to see a doctor. Honestly, I thought it was simply an appointment to prescribe some iron tablets, so I sent my husband off to work. Fortunately, my parents said they’d attend with me, otherwise I would have been there alone apart from Maisie who was sat in her pushchair. It was at that moment I was given the news that turned our whole world upside down. I had cervical cancer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Like any newly diagnosed cancer patient, I underwent examinations and scans, to determine how big the cancer was and what the most effective treatment was going to be. Though, unlike most other cancer patients, my scans were also studied to assess when they could safely deliver my unborn child, who we now knew was a girl. It was a balance of giving me the best chance of curative treatment in time and ensuring that Eliza had the best prospect of survival. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">At this point I was told I would be treated at The Christie. The name of the hospital sent ripples of fear through me. The Christie? But that’s where ill people have to go…while I didn’t feel ill at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I spent the rest of the month waiting for 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> May - this was the date of my caesarean section. I would be 32 weeks pregnant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The weeks became studded with appointments with oncologists at The Christie to explain my treatment plan – six weeks of chemotherapy (“and yes,” they said, “I would lose my hair.”)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I did get some chance to feel like a “normal” expectant mother by attending my ante-natal appointments, extra scans and finally having steroid injections to help Eliza’s lungs to develop quicker in anticipation of her early arrival. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; tab-stops: 129.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I now had almost daily contact with a doctor, nurse or midwife. I said to my husband more than once, in tears, that I just didn’t want this to be me, I wanted my old life back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">All I could think about was the cancer. How fast was it growing inside me? Could I afford to wait until May? What about making sure James and Maisie had a Mum around? How could I not give Eliza the best chance of survival when it had been she that had been the reason I was in the right place at the right time?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Fast forward five years and I wish I could shout back in time to my earlier self. “Believe! Eliza is going to be fine, better than fine. This treatment is going to be successful. You’ve got this!” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">My emotions ran high again in April 2018 as I had the privilege of running the London Marathon - a lifetime’s dream. Though, it was not my first marathon since treatment, it was in fact number six. Making me a seven times marathoner altogether and I won’t be stopping at the finish line on The Mall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In 2018 I have set myself the challenge of running five marathons to mark five years in remission - one for each year of survivorship, who else to do it for but The Christie. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I was a runner long before I was diagnosed with cancer, even running through all three pregnancies and ran within weeks of giving birth. I continued to run through my treatment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The hospital staff encouraged me to continue unless I got to the point where I couldn’t. That point didn’t arrive as I ran three or four times a week, it felt great. I believed that it was one way I could fight my battle, head on. I felt like me when I ran, not a cancer patient, just me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Once treatment ended I maintained my running routine with Eliza accompanying me in her pram. I started to sign up for races again and I measured my recovery as my times came tumbling down to pre-treatment speeds.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHSoDWz9WjO-1aK0ghq7PtUaj0jxAu8FcVUblDnkHtPxwQfAM5InEhkrihyphenhyphent04UwKN1Q8-RWJkWH06QfkDxvvnQhANTbFaYOm0R3E_EH83dk0g5cI-P7sbi8dgFNJn3HCrkEZrumyE9he/s1600/IMG_2101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHSoDWz9WjO-1aK0ghq7PtUaj0jxAu8FcVUblDnkHtPxwQfAM5InEhkrihyphenhyphent04UwKN1Q8-RWJkWH06QfkDxvvnQhANTbFaYOm0R3E_EH83dk0g5cI-P7sbi8dgFNJn3HCrkEZrumyE9he/s320/IMG_2101.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; tab-stops: 129.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In October 2014, I ran my first post cancer marathon. I was astounded to cross the line in a lifetime best of 03:50:12. Since then I ran more marathons and countless other races, the most recent being the Seville marathon in February 2018 – the first of my five in 2018 challenge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I have also thrown the gauntlet down to my family and friends, asking if they would sign up to an event which improves their fitness, while pledging to raise money as part of my team – Nicola’s Christie Soldiers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">My view is that while being fit doesn’t prevent you from serious illness, it’s still an investment and better enables you to deal with and recover from whatever health problems you may encounter in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The response I have had has been amazing. I’ve had pledges from friends, family, colleagues, my husband’s friends, friends’ husbands, neighbours, friends of friends – the list goes on. Even the very youngest of my local community are getting involved. The Rainbows are running their own marathon between them one night in the local park. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I was super proud to wear my Christie vest at the London marathon. I am eternally grateful to The Christie for permitting me the opportunity to do this in two ways – successful curative treatment and to offer me one of their prized golden bond places. “Hey - The Christie – I owe you big time!”</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Nicola and family have been nominated for a Pride of Bury award, you can vote for her at </span><a href="http://www.prideofbury.co.uk/the-categories/our-hero-family-award-finalists/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #0563c1;">www.prideofbury.co.uk/the-categories/our-hero-family-award-finalists/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"> </span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; tab-stops: 129.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">To find out more about how you can support The Christie charity please visit </span><a href="http://www.christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #0563c1;">www.christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"> </span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-70733723321808232942018-09-03T16:39:00.000+01:002018-09-03T16:42:53.184+01:00The 6 by 6 Challenge - Tony Gretton<br />
<h2 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Tony Gretton - Christie fundraiser</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1viXR5euLIpDyWrskXCGEx4y9CFGMzHmuXGspozgMVFBTQP4oA7SHi-ur8JZTev3vdBq1mlYjpTbiAM8guWXl2J6-swTCJoFxa5Vapzz6qjGSIV4EVu4SKYCIthPr-tj3jGe0QgwFp9XP/s1600/Tony+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1viXR5euLIpDyWrskXCGEx4y9CFGMzHmuXGspozgMVFBTQP4oA7SHi-ur8JZTev3vdBq1mlYjpTbiAM8guWXl2J6-swTCJoFxa5Vapzz6qjGSIV4EVu4SKYCIthPr-tj3jGe0QgwFp9XP/s320/Tony+7.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">I recently completed a ‘6 by 6 challenge’ doing six sporting
events/challenges in six consecutive weeks.</span> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I realised that people wanted something more for their sponsorship
money. I couldn’t give them blood but I could give them sweat and tears (oh yes
and cramps, lots and lots of cramps). </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The idea came about a year ago. I had completed two sprint triathlons and
a 45 mile bike ride on three consecutive weekends. My thoughts turned to 2018
and my 60th birthday and how I would like to mark it. I decided I wanted to do
a real challenge to test my endurance to the limit.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So if you’re thinking of doing a fundraising event, my first tip is to
make it a challenge for yourself. Something you’re going to really have to work
at to achieve.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Building on my 2017 ‘three in a row’, I decided to add in a longer bike
ride, a swim and, well read on if you want to find out. I already knew the
dates for the first three events and it didn’t take long to find the others.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My second tip is to plan. You need to have a date to aim at, to focus
the mind and help with training.</span></div>
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</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of 2017, I announced my 6 by 6 challenge. My wife thought I
was ‘bloody mad’ – or at least that’s the more polite version!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thirdly, announce early on what you’re going to do. You’ll be able to
gauge interest and people will know early on that you will want them to sponsor
you. Plus it adds a commitment to your challenge.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2018 dawned dark, cold and wet. I’d already put in a few months hard
groundwork training, but January began the real ramp up and the full release to
the big wide world of what I was going to do and when.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The events and dates unfolded thus:</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">20th May – Sprint triathlon at Lytham St Anne’s where I set a personal
best (PB) and finished sixth in my age group.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">27th May – Sprint triathlon at Rossendale where I set a PB and finished
third in my age group.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3rd June – 45 mile bike ride from Blackpool to Fleetwood area and back.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10th June – 80 mile bike ride around North Wales including two monster
climbs, one being the Horse Shoe Pass. Boy did I have some cramps in the last
mile and aches at the end of this one, but little did I know what was to come.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">13th June (my birthday) – a two-mile open water swim to celebrate being
60 years old!</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">24th June – Half ironman at Cholmondeley Castle where I came second in
my age group. All I can say about this one was that I plain hurt and suffered
some of the worst cramps on the run I’d ever had. At 400m from the finish, I
actually screamed in pain at the cramps in both legs. I couldn’t take a step.
My daughter appeared from nowhere to encourage me on, giving me the spur to
keep walking as the cramps eased. Then 200m later there was my granddaughter
and we ran side by side for those last yards and crossed the line to the cheers
of the crowd. I’d finished my first ever half ironman and the last …. Though
there is a part of me that would love to have another crack at it.</span></div>
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</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I spoke to my personal trainer she also told me I was ‘bloody mad’
for doing all these events back to back. I didn’t believe her but I do now!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lBwu-hTb4D834ezyd0eAI7Ifdt_kLriIdr6AAmZedpds-JDKvBHBPwiDqaWpqvHRNn0yzhenpAFVoyL7e9w3irtI-cW_KIuizWU6hp_Ni4WHFAPny9QyZrkKm9u4LONTzMifumBwPk8U/s1600/Tony+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lBwu-hTb4D834ezyd0eAI7Ifdt_kLriIdr6AAmZedpds-JDKvBHBPwiDqaWpqvHRNn0yzhenpAFVoyL7e9w3irtI-cW_KIuizWU6hp_Ni4WHFAPny9QyZrkKm9u4LONTzMifumBwPk8U/s320/Tony+6.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tip 4 – engage with people who know and understand what you are going to
do. Use their knowledge and experience. Think about joining a club that
specialises in that type of event and train for it. I told my triathlon club what
I was planning and they also said ‘you’re bloody mad’ but they gave me
brilliant support.</span></div>
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</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I then entered a couple of events, the Blackburn 10k where I set a PB
and the Liverpool half marathon. The last time I ran this far was just after
I’d left the Army, was as fit as a butcher’s dog and was only 24 at the time.
Somewhere over the last 36 years I’ve lost 22 minutes and trust me when it says
400m to the water station, suddenly it’s twice as far as it ever used to be.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For all the training, the date of the first event soon dawned and events
two and three followed. Event four, the 80 miles around North Wales was my
first real test. The furthest I’d ever been on the bike was 60 miles, so this
was 20 miles into the unknown, round a very tough course and on a rather hot
Sunday. Somehow I managed to get my older brother to sign up to it as well. It
was tough, but boy was it glorious. We’d both do it again!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tip 5 – If you can get someone to come along with you, even if for only
a part of what you’re going to do it will make the day a lot more memorable.
Believe me, seeing North Wales on the bike is firmly etched into our memories.
When I told my brother I would also be doing a half marathon shortly after the
bike ride he also told me I was ‘bloody mad’.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fifth event was only three days later, the two-mile open water swim.
It went faultlessly and I only suffered a bit of arm ache in the last 200m. Thankfully,
the rain held off until we were back in the car. It’s a funny thing, I hate
swimming in the rain …. You get too wet!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I knew it the 24th June arrived. I was up at 4.15 am to get to
Cholmondeley Castle.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tip 6 – Find a great location. If you choose somewhere really nice
you’re more likely to have supporters come to watch. You’ll also feel a bit
more inspired.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I lined up with another 179 fools (I mean competitors) waiting for the
hooter to set us off for the most gruelling sporting event I’d ever done. Seven
and a half hours later I crossed the finish line. I hurt, I mean I truly hurt!
My wife, daughter and son-in-law were there to see me finish. My six in a row
was announced over the loudspeakers and the crowd clapped and cheered again. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Christie, National Kidney Federation and British Heart Foundation
all got a mention. Loads of people spoke to me after about my challenge and
asked about the charities and why I chose them. So not only was I able to raise
funds, but also elevate the profiles of the charities I was supporting.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tip 7 – Get your family and friends involved - you can’t do it without
them.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tip 8 – Pick a charity which really means something to you. It’s much
easier to sell it to others. You need to tell a story.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tip 9 – Use social media, but limit your updates prior to the event or
you may risk people losing interest. I updated on all my training mileages as
it’s a good way to keep a tally.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I promised my wife I’ll never do another half ironman and it’s something
I’ll honour. She worried all the way around my final 13 miles of the run.
Without her tireless and selfless support, I couldn’t have done it.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the way home from Cholmondeley we visited Bolton Hospice to see our
closest friend Aileen. I kissed her on her forehead and told her I’ve done all
six events! Aileen peacefully passed away within a day of us seeing her. And
that’s the thing, all the way through the toughest of training and the events,
for all the pain I put myself through, I knew I would recover. We always knew
Aileen wouldn’t.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did receive one great piece of news a few days later. A friend and
colleague suffering from complete kidney failure had received a new one and was
now back at work.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We cannot solve all the terrible illnesses out there, but we need to
keep trying. It’s support from the thousands of Christie fundraisers (amongst
whom I’m proud to count myself) who help fund vital research and care and
treatment for patients. Believe me, every single penny counts.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are so many people I want to thank including my wife Margaret, for
all her fantastic support and the Scarborough radiography department, who
raised a phenomenal amount of money for my three causes. There have been some
real highs and lows but it’s confirmed my belief in people and there are a lot
of wonderful ones out there. And finally, I’d like to thank all the companies
that sponsored me.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope this inspires readers to do something, too. We have all been
affected by the loss of someone close. Use their life to the most positive
result that can be achieved, helping to save others.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My challenge is complete - I’m tired, I ache, I’m proud! I wonder what
everyone would say if I decided to do it again next year!</span></span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-5734474112840508002018-08-24T14:03:00.000+01:002018-08-24T14:03:27.039+01:00Let the games begin - Keith Small<h2>
Keith Small - Christie fundraiser</h2>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eighteen
months ago we at the Waterside Hotel and Leisure Club wanted to try and get
companies and businesses in Didsbury to get active and have some fun in the
name of charity, and so began the Didsbury Business Games.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Deciding on
The Christie as our charity was an easy decision as it is very close to many
people’s hearts in the local community, so we invited some other organisations
to get on board and become founding partners.</span></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN6ncOiuoeqy3wlFK1CNTwmmCDhdHI0s-yY6M2DBgSnBzI8WCEEYOYdBkY37ItE5_tddrq04KYmTZHSZVJvF3Rl9qQVMzt-sBk04BYJLmWtiKQIA2n-KCyuBsNh8AVzWGQ3uO0oNJS-H8/s1600/cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="597" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN6ncOiuoeqy3wlFK1CNTwmmCDhdHI0s-yY6M2DBgSnBzI8WCEEYOYdBkY37ItE5_tddrq04KYmTZHSZVJvF3Rl9qQVMzt-sBk04BYJLmWtiKQIA2n-KCyuBsNh8AVzWGQ3uO0oNJS-H8/s320/cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The response
was incredible and very quickly we had Towers Business Park, Tenpin Bowling,
Didsbury Sports Ground, Food Sorcery and Parrs Wood High School on board to
make the games a success.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In just six
weeks we raised £7,000 – way more than our £5,000 target. As a result of such
positive feedback, we knew we should make it an annual event and we were
determined to make the 2018 games bigger and better.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, 11
companies and organisations took part, with Booth Ainsworth, Sterling Partners,
We Buy Any House, Grosvenor Casino, The Albert Club, Amoria Bond, Eclectic
Hotel Collection and Pabla and Pabla Solicitors all joining in.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking shows
like The Krypton Factor and the Crystal Maze as a loose basis, we developed a
set of games that would include both mental and physical aspects to make sure
everybody could join in the fun. The games ran every Wednesday for six months
with points awarded for each round.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They included
ten pin bowling, a Bear Grylls outdoor cooking challenge, a school sports day,
a cocktail making event, dodgeball and a quiz night.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 2018
winners of the Didsbury Business Games were Booth Ainsworth and the final table
can be viewed here: </span><a href="http://www.didsburybusinessgames.co.uk/leaderboard/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.didsburybusinessgames.co.uk/leaderboard/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As well as earning
points for competing in the challenges there were bonus points for fundraising
efforts which we were helped with by Jen Bailey from The Christie charity.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everybody had
such a good time and really bought into the spirit of the events and we managed
to raise more than £14,000 which was really incredible as we had set a target
of £10,000. As well as raising the money we have all made new friends and to
get out of the workplace for such a rewarding experience has helped all of us. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the funds
are going to support proton beam therapy research. This will help to make sure
that the new high energy NHS proton beam therapy service opening this year at
The Christie will remain at the cutting edge of treatment for decades to come. Previously,
patients have had to travel to other countries for this therapy so it is great
to be able to support research into such a vital new service.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more
information about the Didsbury Business Games or to register an interest in the
2019 games, please contact </span><a href="mailto:info@didsburybusinessgames.co.uk"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">info@didsburybusinessgames.co.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>- we’d love to have you on board.</span></span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-34843415431976585712018-07-23T12:30:00.000+01:002018-07-23T13:05:09.337+01:00Everyone shows a genuine interest in how I’m getting on and I feel like I’m part of The Christie family <br />
<h2 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Ruth Naylor, Christie patient</span></h2>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">On 22nd August 2017, I went to see my
GP having felt generally under-the-weather for a few weeks. Fluey, sweaty at
night, absolutely knackered. With two small children, a crazy busy life and a
new business venture my symptoms were nothing particularly unusual however, my
doctor sent me for some routine blood tests and a chest X-ray, “just to rule
anything major out”. Thank goodness she did.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Within 48 hours, I’d been diagnosed
with Lymphoma, cancer of the blood and told the devastating news that I had a
dinner-plate sized tumour in my chest. I was on my own when the registrar broke
the news to me (thinking I simply had a chest infection) and it’s true what
they say, the world stopped turning. The words “you have cancer” really are the
most heart-stopping, gut-wrenching words. Ten years ago, my mum went from her
cancer diagnosis to death in just five weeks. This thought has crossed my mind
a thousand times each day, along with how my two young children would manage
without their mum.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Due to the aggressive nature of the
cancer, I was transferred to The Christie within a week and whilst I’d heard a
lot about The Christie and it’s amazing work, I had no idea what to expect. I
met with Professor John Radford and the lymphoma team on the haematology ward,
including my specialist clinical nurse, Sarah. That first meeting was tough but
everyone I came across was exceptionally kind, from the ladies on the reception
desk to the nurses taking my blood. It was as if everyone was on my side from
the start. Nothing was too much trouble. The details of treatment were
discussed; I’m told we were looking at 6 months of fortnightly chemotherapy,
potentially radiotherapy and if necessary, a bone marrow transplant. The worst
news of all? I would also lose all of my hair.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following biopsies, more blood tests
and a PET scan, I had only a week to wait before chemotherapy started. In this
time, Sarah made herself available to me, whenever I needed her to answer every
sensible or ridiculous question I had. Knowing that hair loss for a woman has
a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>huge psychological impact, Sarah
encouraged me to visit The Christie wig shop as soon as I felt able, to start
preparing myself for the inevitable. In every dealing I had with the team at
The Christie, I was left feeling safe, secure and in doubt whatsoever that I
was in the very best hands. The ladies in the Information Centre took the time
to chat me through the various support groups which are available to me and
introduced me to the Maggie’s Centre for any practical and emotional support I
might need. Everywhere I turned, there was someone to hold my hand and guide me
through.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The day of my first chemotherapy was
nerve-wracking and highly emotional. With no idea how, or if, I would respond
to the treatment, I entered the haematology ward and was immediately greeted by
Claire, my nurse for the day. She put me at ease, explained as many times as I
needed her to, what the process would be and how I may feel after each
chemotherapy drug. I was in and out within six hours and headed home to wait
for the side effects to kick in. Once again, Sarah checked in with me each day
that week to see how I was feeling and if the team could do anything more for
me.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That first round was 3 months ago and
every other Friday I’ve been following the same process. I arrive at The
Christie for 9am to be greeted by Joanne whilst I’m waiting for my blood tests.
I then meet my consulting team for a catch-up and review of how I’m getting on
and make my way to Ward 26 for my chemotherapy. All the nurses know my name,
everyone shows a genuine interest in how I’m getting on and there’s a real
sense of teamwork. I feel like I’m part of The Christie family and I know many
people feel the same. For a place which could be full of fear and sadness,
there’s an incredibly uplifting vibe throughout.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In May 2018, after numerous scans, I
finally received the news every cancer patient wants to hear. I got my “all
clear”! The last 10 months have been a gruelling and emotionally testing
process but I feel privileged to have had my life-saving treatment at The
Christie. I’m incredibly lucky to have this specialist cancer hospital near to
where I live and for anyone who may be facing a war with cancer, there really
is no better place to fight your battle. I will be at having regular check-ups
at The Christie for the next five years as until that point passes, I cannot be
declared as “cured” but I now intended to live my life to the full, to enjoy it
as much as I can, and will always be indebted to the great work of my oncology
team in this hospital.</span> </span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-12246627074999678752018-06-11T15:12:00.000+01:002018-06-12T09:15:25.394+01:00A Few Words About Luck - Kate Woodhead<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kate Woodhead - Christie patient<span style="font-family: "arialmt";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></span></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSvn5Ql912y4mZLU1ahCnpZlS5HtJZgFzJSzxsGN6i3bLlBfDxZdjKyjbsfWPj9oX4eDKcnWkXeBDcmpPo9WKmQB3979s1aiiGCDp9cH41e9l81XAsdjAKZUYl2vSXJzob89SS3_1q-5S/s1600/Kate+Woodward+Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1229" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSvn5Ql912y4mZLU1ahCnpZlS5HtJZgFzJSzxsGN6i3bLlBfDxZdjKyjbsfWPj9oX4eDKcnWkXeBDcmpPo9WKmQB3979s1aiiGCDp9cH41e9l81XAsdjAKZUYl2vSXJzob89SS3_1q-5S/s320/Kate+Woodward+Cropped.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arialmt";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Do you consider yourself lucky?</strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I do - even though I have
had a blood cancer for the last 20 years.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>So why am I lucky?</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Because</strong> - I came to The Christie in 1998, aged 58, for a
second opinion and was given my future back. Further investigations gave me a
median survival rate of eight to 10 years (I’ve doubled that forecast) instead
of the 18 months - 3 years prognosis I was given previously. I had been
diagnosed initially at Leighton Hospital with Mantle Cell Lymphoma and a bone
marrow biopsy showed my bone marrow was ‘grossly infiltrated with malignant
cells’ according to the haematologist. Within three weeks I started on a
monthly chemo regime of CHOP. What a good name for it - as I lost my
hair, my strength and my resolve. Another bone marrow biopsy, three months
later showed the response was minimal and a transplant was suggested. I
requested/insisted on a second opinion and saw Professor Radford who did
another biopsy and phoned me with the new diagnosis of Small Lymphocytic
Lymphoma - which was so kind of him and I so appreciated it. I felt I had a
life again.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Because</b> -<b> </b>I have
been treated with expertise, care and consideration throughout all those years
of coming to The Christie. We came so often, I think every car we drove seemed
to be able to get there with minimum steerage. We lost count one year after we
had been 30 times.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Because </b>-<b> </b>although
I had had five sessions of chemotherapy over the years, I am still here and
able to take part in a clinical trial of a new combination of drugs which is
proving to be very successful. I’m hoping this sixth chemotherapy regime will
be the last. Dr Mamat is fantastic but I don’t want to have to see him so often
- if this treatment will give me five years remission I will be 83 and that
will do for me.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Because </b>-<b> </b>I
trained as a State Registered Nurse (SRN) many years ago, and as I did
phlebotomy in one of my jobs after marriage - it meant I never had a needle
phobia, though my veins are not brilliant. Tracey, who takes blood in
department 26, is the best I have ever had sticking needles into my arms - in
and out like a dream. I am not the only patient who is always grateful to see
her on duty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Because </b>-<b> </b>my
husband John has been with me for every appointment and is always supportive.
We treat ourselves to lunch and a glass of wine, whether the counts are good or
not so good - but occasionally go to the staff canteen and enjoy the atmosphere
there - a pity it isn’t licensed!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Because </b>- my two
consultants, first Professor Radford and then Dr Bloor have given me such
excellent treatment over the years with such friendly caring staff in both
departments. I thank my lucky stars every time I come to the hospital - I
am so privileged to be treated here.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
my diagnosis, I found myself looking at people walking by me and thinking ‘how
lucky they are - they don’t have cancer’. You feel so different from everyone.
You feel stigmatised by the diagnosis and, of course, the word brings fears and
worries. I then realised that I had joined a rather special club, one with an
exorbitant joining fee, but nevertheless full of really good and interesting
people.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
was a founder member and moderator for an email support group and was also
asked to be a buddy by the Lymphoma Society; eventually I became pretty much a
veteran. I know that for ’newbies’ who had just been diagnosed that it is
encouraging to be in touch with those of us who have survived various
chemotherapy regimes and are still enjoying life.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>This was the best piece of luck </b>- how much you appreciate life after you have come to terms with
perhaps not making three score years and ten. Life is all the sweeter because
you feared you were coming to the end of it - before you really expected the
end. Though when do we ever expect it?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
am lucky because I received so much love from family members and friends that I
feel my life has been worthwhile. I have always considered that love is the
important element in life and I know that love will continue even after I have
died - it doesn’t die with the person. Every life you touch with love
gains a little from you and you gain so much in return. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But will people in the future be as lucky as I have been? </span></b></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></strong>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arialmt";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
really do hope so. It really distresses me to read of more and more pressures
on the NHS. Why can’t governments recognise the need for UK residents, of
every race and colour, to have a constant and good health service? Do they not
realise the incredible benefit we all gain from it? Don’t they realise what a
marvellous resource we have in our doctors, nurses, radiographers,
physiotherapists etc etc and every other member of staff who are part of this
wonderful NHS of ours. We must all fight to preserve it, it truly is worth
fighting for. So rally to the cause - long live the NHS.</span></span></span>The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-21082083453590132012018-06-01T17:48:00.000+01:002018-06-18T15:39:12.715+01:00A Biscuit Invasion - Clare Barnes <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -11.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<h2>
Clare Barnes - Trainee Nursing Associate</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When the Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA) role was first introduced
there was a huge buzz about a new addition to the nursing family. In the
initial months we were reminded we were a pilot but also called trail blazers,
paving the way for future cohorts. I’m a little fire phobic so like to stick
with my comparison to the hobnob biscuit - in part due to the uniform colour.</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I should begin by explaining what a TNA is. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Nursing Associate will work under the
direction of a fully qualified Registered Nurse (RN). The Nursing Associate is
not a Registered Nurse but will undertake some of the duties that a RN
currently undertakes, enabling the Registered Nurse to spend more time on the
assessment and care associated with both complex needs and advances in treatments.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> We will be regulated by the NMC and our
standards are currently being finalized. We come with a variety of clinical
skills and experience however all have the same fundamental training and as
such these skills are transferrable to any area within the hospital. We’re
flexible biscuits, soaked in knowledge and ready to be dunked in any area that
needs us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Being a biscuit is a lot less crumbly that you would think. I’ve
previously compared our role to Hobnobs taking the outlook of Peter Kay who
refers to them as the hard-core dunking biscuits - persistent and refuse to
crumble under pressure. That likeness has proved more than appropriate over the
last 15 months as we met every update to our course with a smile and a
resilience that refuses to be broken. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My introduction to The Christie came at a personal level when I
lost my mother to ovarian cancer however the care we received as a family at
that time was second to none. Our hospital has created a </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">unique environment where despite the somewhat
scary circumstances, patients can feel at ease. The people who work at The
Christie are wonderful, caring souls and I am genuinely proud to be part of
something special. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I was younger (a LONG time ago) I had wanted to be a nurse.
My mum had also worked in a hospital and I can still remember the nurses
letting me wear one of their hats when we picked her up at the end of a shift.
Life happened, and I got lost in a career in the banking industry eventually
working from home. After my introduction to The Christie I was drawn to the
possibility of working there. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
joined The Christie in 2015 as a clerical officer working as </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a small cog in a big machine that continues to
turn, providing exceptional care to our patients when they need it the most. I
began on the Endocrine department and found the role rewarding working within a
friendly team however I quickly came to realize that I had a desire to play a
more hands on role in patient care. When a Health Care Assistant (HCA) role was
advertised in the same department with the same shift pattern I jumped at the
opportunity to support the nursing team on the unit.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It didn’t take me long to complete my skill set for the role and
I began looking for opportunities to progress and become more involved
in-patient care. Ultimately, I knew one day I wanted to become a nurse, I just
wasn’t sure how I was going to make that happen - Bills have a habit of still
needing to be paid and as much as my son likes to think he is self-sufficient -
he’s not quite there yet!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Staring at the computer screen and taking in all the information
I did the math’s in my head, “what if?” “how can I?” were all questions
floating about. One of the nurses had pulled me to one side to show me the
advertisement for a brand-new role starting in January - A pilot scheme but
something she assured me I would be great at. As for all my questions the reply
came in the form of another question “What if one opportunity could change your
life?” So, I filled out the application, made myself sound more awesome than
sauce in less than 200 words (It’s possible!), secured my interview and pinched
myself when I got the call to tell me I had been successful. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There were 1700 applicants to the pilot scheme in Greater
Manchester, 240 were successfully appointed to post. 8 of those are based at
the Christie. The original pilot wave saw 2000 Trainee Nursing Associates
recruited across England. A further 5000 are planned to be recruited this year
and we have an additional 6 biscuits starting their apprenticeship at the end
of April taking the trust total to 14. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’re now in our third placement block and time flies when
you’re having fun. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our course combines a
mix of clinical placements and academic study. We work 30 hours a week in
clinical practice with one day a week at university. My allocated university is
Manchester Metropolitan University. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My clinical experience has been amazing
providing me a wealth of information, experience and has also helped me put
together the jigsaw puzzle that forms the patient journey from initial referral
to eventual discharge. Throughout our clinical placements we are allocated a
mentor to ensure we meet out learning objectives for the placement and our
overall experience is looked after by our clinical educator who is always on
hand to support our progress. Our placements are divided into four blocks
covering Specialist, Community, Surgical and Medical. Within each block, we
rotate through various areas to provide an overall view of the services
available within the hospital and community setting. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I initially began with my specialist placement
in January 2017. We stayed in our original home to enable us to find our feet.
In July 2017, I moved to the community placement working with The Christie at
Home Team, Outreach and the Mobile Chemo Unit. January 2018 saw me move to my
surgical placement based at the IPU with rotations in theatres and the surgical
wards. All our placements provide the opportunity for us to spoke out and I
have taken advantage of placements with CCU Outreach, Enhanced recovery and the
Stoma Nurses to name a few. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I have found through experience that the nursing
team around us are our greatest teachers. Every person across the
multi-disciplinary team offers support and different perspectives on how we can
make each contact count with our patients. The knowledge that we have gained
from university is helping to change the way we view things turning a clinical
task into one that is supported with the knowledge of why we are doing it and
the confidence to explain this to our patients and their carers. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">Looking to the future, I
can see a biscuit army on the horizon. The NHS is faced with many challenges,
an aging population, patients with complex needs and the recruitment of nurses
into the workforce. The TNAs are not intended as a replacement for any role, we
are a new role created as an addition to the nursing family. We aim to compliment
the workforce, adding value to the nursing team, providing support nurses and
to bridge the gap between the HCAs and RNs. The role provides a career pathway
for HCAs should they wish like myself to progress to nursing. The biscuits are
here to help, we want our skills and knowledge to be utilised and hope to be
seen as a positive addition to strengthen an ever-changing workforce. </span>The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-38316486553064619562018-05-14T14:40:00.002+01:002018-07-23T14:22:24.376+01:00Mental Health Awareness Week - Anne Crook<h3>
Anne Crook - counsellor</h3>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Wandering
around the supermarket last weekend, I hadn’t expected to come out of the
shop with a guitar in my trolley. And, I certainly didn’t expect to be blogging
about my efforts to learn to play it as one of my 5-a-day Mindapples. More about
Mindapples later.
</h3>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
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<div style="border-image: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k-Lr5hGNSmfHetmFRVVCSWOzomtnfSoC9efJm2C3Vw86t0P8qMc0qF9sG-VRFSIxZbkXPMSit6rFidmnu8LaaYUGuv8l5NC89ThZQqf4ZDTtKnYn-aiZE8J6ECRN1dx-LCqKfOfleH6n/s1600/Anne+Crook+guitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="1254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k-Lr5hGNSmfHetmFRVVCSWOzomtnfSoC9efJm2C3Vw86t0P8qMc0qF9sG-VRFSIxZbkXPMSit6rFidmnu8LaaYUGuv8l5NC89ThZQqf4ZDTtKnYn-aiZE8J6ECRN1dx-LCqKfOfleH6n/s320/Anne+Crook+guitar.jpg" width="313" /></a>As it is for
most of us, music is a big part of my life. I’ve always been envious of people
who can pick up an instrument and give us a great tune. When I saw the guitar, I said to myself,‘It’s now or never', particularly when I remembered that I had promised myself to try out new experiences as a significant birthday approaches later
this year. One week on, I can just about play <i>Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-image: none;">
I am a counsellor
and I work within the psycho-oncology team at The Christie. We offer psychological
support to patients who have been referred to us by their healthcare team.
Cancer and its treatment is a huge emotional challenge and it is a great
privilege to listen to someone tell their story and to help them make sense of
the rollercoaster ride of emotions.</div>
</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
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Prior to
working at The Christie, I was a counsellor working with people affected by
blood cancers at a large, London teaching hospital. I loved the work but after
20 years in the frantic pace of the capital, the time came to move back to the
North West. We wanted a garden rather than a window box, easy access to proper
countryside for walking and to be closer to family. When a job came up at The
Christie (and counselling jobs in cancer are extremely scarce), the pieces fell
into place and we made the move. Having previously lived in Kenya and
Amsterdam, I hadn’t expected it to be so difficult to settle again in a new
location. We missed our friends. However, my lovely psycho-oncology colleagues
made it very easy to make new friends, despite our differences in support for rival
football teams.</div>
<br /></div>
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Mental
health is important for each one of us but we </div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF53IGxG048ItA6k_mM1Z7cBNoVmSpXhfGXWNNSiyIgsXWvfZkMUa3nvL3-52NZGRhOP45L18UGXSLjldseWht1HcK94nQzcvsOxsFMML6jcML2w-xI0No8QAaD1srQPeIX1b8__npQYrG/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="523" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF53IGxG048ItA6k_mM1Z7cBNoVmSpXhfGXWNNSiyIgsXWvfZkMUa3nvL3-52NZGRhOP45L18UGXSLjldseWht1HcK94nQzcvsOxsFMML6jcML2w-xI0No8QAaD1srQPeIX1b8__npQYrG/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="271" /></a>often struggle to talk about it.
I have great</div>
relationships with my colleagues but as someone <br />
who is private, it
seems strange to reveal my<br />
guitar-playing. I can imagine how much harder it<br />
would be to talk about feeling l ow or anxious.<br />
As a team, we are keen to make
it as easy for<br />
everyone at The Christie – patients, visitors and<br />
staff to think
and talk about mental health as it is<br />
to talk about physical health. Mindapples
are a<br />
great way to get us thinking and talking about our<br />
mental health.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What are
Mindapples? Well, just as we are all encouraged to eat five portions of fruit
and vegetables a day to look after our physical health, Mindapples are those
day-to-day activities that we can do to look after our mental health. When we
asked patients, visitors and staff at The Christie what they do to look after
their mental wellbeing, they told us that walking the dog, having coffee with a
friend, watching a favourite TV programme and all of the other day-to-day
things that we sometimes take for granted, made a difference to how they felt.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Research
suggests five ways to help us feel well in ourselves: Be physically active, be sociable and connect
with others, be kind and do something for someone else, be aware and take
notice of what’s around you and be open to try out new things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I reckon
that my guitar project ticks a few of those boxes although my current act of
kindness is to practice in private. More Mindapples such as cooking for
friends, walking in the Peak District, tending my veggie patch and screaming
loudly at football on the TV all help me feel connected to myself and others. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The second
week in May is Mental Health Awareness Week. This year, the theme is <i>Stress - are we coping?</i> Stress is when
the pressure is too much and we feel that the demands on us seem to outweigh
our resources to cope with them. Much of my work is helping people to
rediscover that they do have the resources to cope with the challenges that
cancer brings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We begin
Mental Health Awareness Week with <i>Mindapples
Monday </i>- What are your five-a-day Mindapples that you do to look after
yourself? <i>Treat Tuesday</i> is an
invitation to share a random act of kindness for someone else, perhaps a smile
in the corridor or a word of encouragement. <i>Wake
UP Wednesday</i> reminds us that physical activity is always good, whether that
be some gardening, a walk or a dance. <i>Therapy
Thursday </i>invites us to take notice of what is around us and to be present in
the ‘here and now’ – stop for a moment and notice the buds on the trees. We complete
the week on ‘<i>Friendly Friday’</i>. We hope
that lots of people will visit our display in Oak Road and post a thank you for
a person, an experience or an activity that has helped their sense of wellbeing.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Come and
visit our display in Oak Road on Monday 14<sup>th</sup> May and tell us about
your own five-a-day Mindapples. If I’m feeling brave, I’ll play you a song!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-66935115792270687432018-05-11T17:37:00.000+01:002018-05-11T17:37:08.176+01:00Patients really have been at the centre of everything we've ever done - Gillian Goodwin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Gillian Goodwin - quality improvement nurse</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM59o7NrdyjxdJmAMQFkPU3IQ0K-hKjnntYwXEkVan6Qa9yhWWz402evKQnCLsSoTbgX3QPUoiG-nmM3KDY4uGte7wVVL0yWXekl43uuGpSBSeK6KuUBLTeaKE_idUx2MnSgSNUT1naQ8/s1600/Gillian+Goodwin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="284" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM59o7NrdyjxdJmAMQFkPU3IQ0K-hKjnntYwXEkVan6Qa9yhWWz402evKQnCLsSoTbgX3QPUoiG-nmM3KDY4uGte7wVVL0yWXekl43uuGpSBSeK6KuUBLTeaKE_idUx2MnSgSNUT1naQ8/s200/Gillian+Goodwin.png" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In the lead up to International Nurses Day this Saturday, Gillian talks about her nursing career at The Christie over four decades. Each day this week Gillian will share her experiences by each decade. </span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I have worked at The Christie as a nurse for more than 34 years and have seen many changes along the way; not just the many patients and colleagues who have come and gone, but the changing fabric of the buildings and the ever advancing treatment technologies and nursing practices. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">What has not changed, however, is the Christie ethos of always putting patients at the centre of everything we do. I witnessed this myself as a Christie patient back in 1982 and realised that The Christie was where I wanted to launch my nursing career. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">So in September 1983 I arrived at the Christie as a newly qualified staff nurse and have been here ever since!</span></span><br />
<br /><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">2010s</span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A significant
change in the 2010s was the move towards paperless working. For nurses like me
raised in a computer-free environment this proved to be a challenge. However,
the introduction of patient electronic records has enabled massive improvements
in the quality of the data and information recorded. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Nursing was
by now branching out into all sorts of new areas giving nurses many different
career opportunities. Nurses were skilled in areas that had been the
sole domain of doctors back in the 1980s – minor surgical procedures,
diagnostic techniques, advanced intravenous procedures and treatment
deliveries, prescribing of medication to name a few. Nurse-led clinics and
services were expanding and nursing students were now being educated to degree
level. As a member (between 1979 and 1983) of one of the early cohorts of
pre-registration degree programmes (when ‘degree nurses’ were held in suspicion
and seen as a threat), I welcomed this shift.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">By the 2010s
I found myself working mainly in quality improvement and this provided some
great opportunities for developing QI at The Christie. I worked jointly with
colleagues to devise a framework for improving quality in ward areas and
recognise excellence. We named the scheme The Christie CODE. We developed
nursing standards in the fundamentals of care together with measures against
which care quality could be determined. The development of an electronic tool
allowed wards to enter measurement data and review status against the
requirements of gold status accreditation.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I have
witnessed all our in-patient wards achieve the standard necessary to be
accredited by the Trust. While proud of their achievements, I am also very
proud of the success of the scheme itself which is recognised across the trust
as being reliable and robust.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So as the
2010s draw to a close how do I feel about all the changes? Was it better then
or is it better now?</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">While I have
fond memories of my early years as a nurse; nursing now provides many more
opportunities for both personal and career development. The 80s represented a
gentler time when patient care was less technical and nurses had more time to
provide supportive care. We had time to talk to our patients without the
pressure to get a dozen other jobs done!</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Today
patients benefit from all the regulations and new technologies that were absent
in the 80s. They are now partners in their care and treatment, and there are
systems in place that ensure it is delivered safely and to the highest
standard. That’s not to say we didn’t give great care back in 1983 – we did the
very best we could with the knowledge we had at the time and the patients were
then, as now, at the centre of what we did.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br /></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-8342321674735266602018-05-10T14:47:00.001+01:002018-05-10T14:54:46.552+01:00It's a new millennium and the time for a career move is fast approaching - Gillian Goodwin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Gillian Goodwin - quality improvement nurse</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM59o7NrdyjxdJmAMQFkPU3IQ0K-hKjnntYwXEkVan6Qa9yhWWz402evKQnCLsSoTbgX3QPUoiG-nmM3KDY4uGte7wVVL0yWXekl43uuGpSBSeK6KuUBLTeaKE_idUx2MnSgSNUT1naQ8/s1600/Gillian+Goodwin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="284" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM59o7NrdyjxdJmAMQFkPU3IQ0K-hKjnntYwXEkVan6Qa9yhWWz402evKQnCLsSoTbgX3QPUoiG-nmM3KDY4uGte7wVVL0yWXekl43uuGpSBSeK6KuUBLTeaKE_idUx2MnSgSNUT1naQ8/s200/Gillian+Goodwin.png" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In the lead up to International Nurses Day this Saturday, Gillian talks about her nursing career at The Christie over four decades. Each day this week Gillian will share her experiences by each decade. </span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I have worked at The Christie as a nurse for more than 34 years and have seen many changes along the way; not just the many patients and colleagues who have come and gone, but the changing fabric of the buildings and the ever advancing treatment technologies and nursing practices. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">What has not changed, however, is the Christie ethos of always putting patients at the centre of everything we do. I witnessed this myself as a Christie patient back in 1982 and realised that The Christie was where I wanted to launch my nursing career. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">So in September 1983 I arrived at the Christie as a newly qualified staff nurse and have been here ever since!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
</span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The 2000s</span></u></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">By the time
the new millennium dawned I had been a ward sister for 12 years and, despite
continuing changes in nursing at The Christie, I felt I was in a loop.
Challenges were just old challenges wrapped up in another guise. The time for
change was fast approaching.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">An
opportunity arose for me to leave bedside nursing after 20 years for a role in
quality improvement and staff support. I became co-leader of a project to
achieve Practice Development Unit (PDU) accreditation for Wards 1, 2 and 3.
This was supported by The University of Leeds from which PDU accreditation
would be awarded. The biggest challenge was persuading ward nurses that
positive feedback from patients was not a licence for complacency and that, in
the new millennium, care quality would come under much greater scrutiny. Well
we got there and the three ward ‘unit’ became an accredited PDU in 2005.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
</span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">My role at
that time also involved supporting newly recruited nurses during their first
days on the ward and also nurses struggling to meet the needs of the role. Nursing
performance was by now being formally assessed through annual appraisal and
managers had become proactive in dealing with poor standards. Back in the 1980s
poor performance among nurses seemed to be rarely challenged or acted upon.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">This
exciting, fulfilling stage of my career was quickly marred, however, by the
advent of Agenda for Change and, in my opinion, the brutal affect this had on many nurses,
including myself at the time. By now I had won promotion to H grade as a
Practice Development Nurse and found myself virtually ‘demoted’ when nursing
grades were replaced. This was the low point even
when on appeal this was partially remedied, I still felt that I had taken a backward step. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">My role and
career direction moved about a great deal during the noughties. My role evolved,
evolved again and eventually I found myself in need of a completely new job
description. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The emerging revelations of events at Mid
Staffordshire Trust resulted in a groundswell of change that affected nurses
then and continues to affect nurses to the present day. Nursing has never been
under so much scrutiny and mid-Staffs saw the advent of increasing amounts of
nurses’ time taken up with recording evidence of the care they deliver. This
was not just recording care given but participation in audit and other data
collections. The irony was that nurses’ time to care started to be eroded.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><strong>Tomorrow - the 2010s</strong></span></span></div>
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-71190249964060077182018-05-09T15:25:00.001+01:002018-05-10T14:57:13.107+01:00Computers and carpets on the wards, things were changing in the 1990s - Gillian Goodwin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Gillian Goodwin - quality improvement nurse</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbF7PuyHodYWxU9u1RmsUKmZhXnoT3RnmTEQkeieVwQrk7ArEaZ40fM84nNCvnjsHRdJOMHdDAPboJzTxTtTtDe_T-4hOL9Vh_FR-0sqM-iCk53frgLQx0Zg3HqSQaMqREzvnOkDQkIZcS/s1600/Gillian+Goodwin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="284" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbF7PuyHodYWxU9u1RmsUKmZhXnoT3RnmTEQkeieVwQrk7ArEaZ40fM84nNCvnjsHRdJOMHdDAPboJzTxTtTtDe_T-4hOL9Vh_FR-0sqM-iCk53frgLQx0Zg3HqSQaMqREzvnOkDQkIZcS/s200/Gillian+Goodwin.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In the lead up to International Nurses Day this Saturday, Gillian talks about her nursing career at The Christie over four decades. Each day this week Gillian will share her experiences by each decade. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></span><br /></strong><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I have worked at The Christie as a nurse for more than 34 years and have seen many changes along the way; not just the many patients and colleagues who have come and gone, but the changing fabric of the buildings and the ever advancing treatment technologies and nursing practices. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">What has not changed, however, is the Christie ethos of always putting patients at the centre of everything we do. I witnessed this myself as a Christie patient back in 1982 and realised that The Christie was where I wanted to launch my nursing career. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">So in September 1983 I arrived at the Christie as a newly qualified staff nurse and have been here ever since!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The 1990s</span></u></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">By the 1990s
things were definitely changing. Hats were finally abandoned and nursing
specialism at The Christie was very much on the rise. Nursing hierarchies had
been established with the introduction of pay grades A-I back in 1988 and we
witnessed the demise of the enrolled nurse as many opted to convert to become
registered nurses. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">At The
Christie nurses began to expand their roles. Ward sisters began to take on the
duty manager role out of hours, and I remember many an hour wandering through
the medical records library trying to trace sets of notes (usually to no avail
– remember this was before electronic notes tracking). Ward nurses began to
take blood samples from patients and more nurses were training to insert IV
cannulas and administer chemotherapy.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">It was a time
of great change within the NHS and we saw the introduction of the patient’s
charter which set out a number of rights and entitlements for National Health
Service patients. Patients began to assert themselves.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The 1990s
witnessed the emergence of ‘Project 2000’ nurses – those that trained to
diploma level in higher education rather than schools of nursing attached to
hospitals. The increase in theory and reduction in practice left many of them ill-prepared
for their role as ‘hands-on’ nurses. Newly qualified nurses often needed a lot
of support adjusting to the demands of the job.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">It was a time
when I really grew into my role as a ward sister, and for the first time
sisters were involved in recruiting their own staff – shortlisting and
conducting interviews. Prior to this you got whoever the nursing officers
appointed for your ward!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">At the
beginning of the decade, The Christie became one of the first NHS trusts in the
country and, for the first time, was able to manage its own affairs. A senior
managerial penchant for hotel-like interiors rapidly came unstuck when carpets
were introduced in ward areas. Over time, no amount of cleaning could eradicate
the offensive smell that was inevitable through normal ward activity and the
inability to mop spillages. I personally invited executive managers onto my
ward to give them first-hand experience. The carpets were soon ripped up! One
benefit of the Trust's newfound freedom was the decorative upgrade of many
clinic areas including my own ward – Ward 4. Nurses had a say in selecting wall
paper and furnishings for the first time.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Computers
arrived on the wards in the 1990s – a foreign concept to all but the youngest
nurses. Of course we couldn’t do much with them back then; they were largely
used for reading blood results. Still, it was a step towards the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
century! Then there was a huge amount of panic over ‘The Millennium Bug’ which
of course turned out to be a storm in a teacup.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><strong>Tomorrow - the 2000s</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><br /></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-85144446333553030602018-05-08T16:35:00.001+01:002018-05-10T15:01:00.985+01:00I have worked at The Christie as a nurse for more than 34 years and have seen many changes along the way - Gillian Goodwin<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Gillian Goodwin - quality improvement nurse</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In the lead up to International Nurses
Day this Saturday, Gillian talks about her
nursing career at The Christie over four decades. Each day this week Gillian
will share her experiences by each decade. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I have worked at The Christie as a
nurse for more than 34 years and have seen many changes along the way; not just the
many patients and colleagues who have come and gone, but the changing fabric
of the buildings and the ever advancing treatment technologies and nursing
practices. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">What has not changed, however, is the Christie ethos of always putting
patients at the centre of everything we do. I witnessed this myself as a
Christie patient back in 1982 and realised that The Christie was where I wanted
to launch my nursing career. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">So in
September 1983 I arrived at the Christie as a newly qualified staff nurse and
have been here ever since!</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The 1980s</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">So what was
The Christie like back in 1983? The hospital was managed by the local (South
Manchester) health authority along with Withington and Wythenshawe hospitals
and certainly did not enjoy the financial freedoms we have today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">This was eight
years before the advent of NHS trusts. There were a lot more inpatient beds
back then and there was just a fraction of the ambulatory activity we see
today. The wards in the older part of the building – 1, 2 (now OAU), 3, 4 and 5
(now endocrine unit) were all long ‘Nightingale’ style wards with beds running
along each side of the ward. The bed spaces still bore the wooden and brass
plaques on the wall in recognition of the group or individuals that funded the
first bed in the particular space in pre-NHS days. Ward 4 bore a plaque at the
ward entrance to commemorate the ward being opened by the Duchess of York
(later to become The Queen Mother), all sadly lost in
subsequent refurbishments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Every ward had a cupboard somewhere for storing the
nurses’ paper hats which invariably tumbled out every time the cupboard door
was opened!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Back in 1983,
the ‘nursing process’ (holistic model of nursing care) was just six years old and
was the nursing model used only on the Christie wards that had students. Other
wards still operated a task orientated style of nursing which seemed archaic to
my novice eyes. I thought ‘back rounds’ (backs and bottoms washed, rubbed,
powdered one after the other) were a thing from the distant past</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Much of the
trust activity in 1983 centred on radiotherapy and surgery, with chemotherapy a
much smaller service in its relative infancy. While the risks associated with
radiation were well known, and we all had the inverse square law (distance) and
time drilled into us, the same cannot be said for chemotherapy where personal
protective equipment was unheard of!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Advances in
cancer therapies have, in subsequent decades, seen the demise of some of the
treatments offered to patients in the 1980s. Caesium needles (inserted into
either tongue or rectum) and cobalt moulds (worn externally) have long gone and
patients having abdominal CT scan no longer have the indignity of a warm water
enema prep. Better anti-sickness medications have replaced the use of sedatives
to enable patients to cope with chemotherapy regimens, allowing them to eat and
drink properly. Our young men with teratoma had a difficult time back then.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In 1983 the
hospital had one specialist nurse for delivering chemotherapy on ward 12 – that
was it! Even the stoma nurses who visited wards 9 and 10 on certain days were
based in another hospital. Research nurses were unheard of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">During the early
1980s most nurses lived in dread of ‘The Change List’. Staff nurses were
routinely moved around the wards each month on a completely ad hoc basis and
each month I would scan the list anxiously to check that my name wasn’t on it.
Alas after six months working at The Christie my name appeared. During the 1980s I
gained nursing experience in a number of areas – Ward 4, Ward 1, Ward 3, Ward
5&6, Ward 10 and Radiotherapy Theatre. It was to Ward 4 however that I
returned as senior sister in 1988. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Movement from one ward to another would, in
those days, often be accompanied by a dunking in the ward bath on your last day
on duty. I had the dubious pleasure of this ritual when I left Ward 10 to take
up my promotion on Ward 4!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><strong>Tomorrow - the 1990s</strong></span></div>
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-16907046699543100622018-05-02T12:56:00.001+01:002018-05-02T12:56:25.122+01:00I'm running 150 miles through the Sahara desert for The Christie charity - Rob Duncombe
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rob Duncombe - director of pharmacy <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGWR-GNdgiSXsC-oSmFHlqcdshJNkQVf0yXL980a5zvdaG-47R53gM32_rVhHy08-NEXsNpBmqJW8PshnXKXSsP8xjl1fmKHAbaNDvn1HdAVzavAphhuIBMWs8N8Eu1_3dkKiLmure_Ne/s1600/Rob+Duncombe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="1600" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGWR-GNdgiSXsC-oSmFHlqcdshJNkQVf0yXL980a5zvdaG-47R53gM32_rVhHy08-NEXsNpBmqJW8PshnXKXSsP8xjl1fmKHAbaNDvn1HdAVzavAphhuIBMWs8N8Eu1_3dkKiLmure_Ne/s320/Rob+Duncombe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob Duncombe</td></tr>
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</span>On Easter Sunday my mum leaned across the table towards me and told me I was stupid…
about five minutes later she told me again how stupid she thought I was.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What had led
to mum coming to this conclusion was that I had told my family about my
intention to run the Marathon des Sables in April 2019.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For those who don’t
know (and this initially included my parents and brother) the
MdS as it is known is one of the hardest, most gruelling and challenging foot
races on the planet. It takes place each year in the Sahara desert,over six
days, and covers about 150 miles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The terrain is sand and rock and part of
the essential kit includes signalling mirrors and an anti-venom kit. If this
was not hard enough, you have to carry your own kit (with the exception of a tent) and
sufficient food for the six days, and water is limited. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">During the
lunch two questions emerged: Who are you going to run the MdS for? And why are
you doing it? The first question was very easy to answer, the second almost
impossible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Who am I
going to run for? I am going to run for The Christie – and hope to raise about
£10,000 in sponsorship/donations. It is my intention to fund all my costs of
entry and kit (about £5,000) so that every penny I raise will go to The
Christie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For those who don’t know me I am the director of pharmacy at The
Christie. I feel extremely honoured and proud to have this role, and I believe
I am fortunate enough to work at one of the best hospitals in the world. On a
day to day basis I see the amazing work we do here, and the huge difference we
make to patient lives – not just through the research we do, but also through
the care and attention everyone gives to supporting our patients through what
has to be one of the most challenging periods of their lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">During the course
of the year through blogs I’m planning to write I will share some more about the
work of the pharmacy team at The Christie and my vision for a department
devoted to improving how we use medicines in cancer patients.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why am I
doing this? In all honesty I’m really not sure. It is certainly not for reasons
of fitness. It is quite possible to be reasonably fit without the need to run
across the Sahara. I’m not doing it to prove anything to myself. In the past
two years - having come to marathon running late in life - I’ve run five
marathons, and if I wanted to I could run a marathon every couple of months for
the next five to 10 years. So it has to be something deeper – a
desire to do something slightly extraordinary, and to push myself to my
absolute mental and physical limits. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">People tell
me that running the MdS is a life-changing experience and that after the MdS you
have a different outlook on life. At the moment I am at the very start of this
adventure, and everything I do over the coming year will hopefully get me in
the very best physical and mental shape I can be to take on this challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If you have
taken the time to read this, can I ask two things: that you follow my progress during the year via Twitter @DuncombeRob<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>and send me messages of support. The more people I know are supporting me the easier this will be AND w<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">hen the time comes – please sponsor me.</span></span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-63648950301667962262018-04-09T12:30:00.000+01:002018-04-09T13:01:56.175+01:00I'm proud to be one of the 70 members of staff from The Christie running to celebrate 70 years of the NHS - Eve Lightfoot<h2>
Eve
Lightfoot, director of workforce</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hKz7rebTIX08Ssl8D_wGwlWPX_Lx_1kX7HNUvjiXW8oR0qFqRF-fMpWbn-JCeTjKFXD8ZzZT4RcikBT9952E43elo0L81kv23_8NcPJ5kG_Q0E2xqPuXJUFrnYPA1L-3f59WwUqMKYIi/s1600/Eve+Lightfoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hKz7rebTIX08Ssl8D_wGwlWPX_Lx_1kX7HNUvjiXW8oR0qFqRF-fMpWbn-JCeTjKFXD8ZzZT4RcikBT9952E43elo0L81kv23_8NcPJ5kG_Q0E2xqPuXJUFrnYPA1L-3f59WwUqMKYIi/s320/Eve+Lightfoot.jpg" width="320" /></a></h2>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 17pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">I've
been a runner nearly all my life; I love the feeling of being outside in the
fresh air blowing away the cobwebs. For someone who is always cold running when
it's freezing outside is the best!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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I've been a runner nearly all my life; I love the feeling of being outside in the fresh air blowing away the cobwebs. For someone who is always cold running when it's freezing outside is the best!<br />
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You will find me pounding the pavements in Didsbury every morning at 6am, except for at the weekend when it's more like 8am. It’s my space for thinking and putting the world to rights.<br />
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I've worked at The Christie for almost 10 years and first completed the Great Manchester Run for The Christie charity, five years ago. In the same year, I jumped out of a plane for the charity too.<br />
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The last 10k I did was a challenge with my partner Ian who I feel proud to say, with relentless encouragement and motivation from me, made it over the line. He was not best pleased however as we ran all the way together until we got to the end of the line, then my competitive streak got the better of me and I crossed the line first. I've never lived it down since.<br />
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So I'm here again about to run The Great Manchester Run for The Christie and to also celebrate 70 years of the NHS.<br />
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So, you may be thinking why, when I run every day anyway? I run every day but my 10k days are behind me these days. I tend to run shorter distances but I decided I wanted to challenge myself.<br />
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Secondly, I like to raise money for The Christie charity as my way of giving back to the organisation.<br />
I absolutely love my job as director of workforce at The Christie. For someone who has a hospital phobia I never thought I would work in one and now I can't imagine working anywhere else. It's such a warm, friendly, positive uplifting place that gives hope to so many people. When I walk through the corridor every day I feel really proud to be part of such a special place that makes such a difference to peoples’ lives. I'm lucky to have lots of opportunities to meet and talk to patients listening to the most amazing feedback about the care they receive from our staff.<br />
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I sit in many meetings and attend various events where we talk about the money our fundraisers raise for The Christie. I've seen so many fabulous developments and services established as a result of charitable funding for our patients. Every time I see people on the street with a bucket or a Christie box on a shop counter I feel proud and want to play my part which is why I am running the Great Manchester Run.<br />
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I'm not brave enough these days to jump out of a plane or take part in any other daredevil event so when I saw a poster advertising the event I thought that's me, a personal challenge and an event to raise money. Then I noticed that this year’s event for The Christie was being linked to the celebration of 70 years of the NHS with the aim of recruiting 70 staff members to run. Well, I didn't need asking twice, this sealed it for me.<br />
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As the director of workforce, I wanted to lead by example and encourage others to take part. What more of a feel good factor could there be than to raise money whilst keeping fit and healthy. The run is a great opportunity to plug The Christie’s wellbeing agenda too.<br />
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It was way back before Christmas when I quietly signed myself up and now my secret is out and I find myself writing the blog and becoming a poster girl.<br />
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I hope this has helped any readers get motivated to do the run for The Christie. I will now focus on the task of actively recruiting fellow colleagues and start my training. I’ll also purchase a pair of new trainers. I don't need an excuse to go shopping but a new pair of trainers always makes me train better!<br />
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If you are a member of Christie staff who wants to join Eve on the staff 70 for 70 team or, if you are a member of the public who wants to sign up for Team Christie then please email <a href="mailto:gmr@christie.nhs.uk">gmr@christie.nhs.uk</a>.<br />
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-64987238084472329782018-03-16T17:10:00.000+00:002018-03-16T17:10:01.250+00:00We have a fantastic smoking cessation service - Hannan Hussain<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hannan Hussain, Christie radiographer</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYELS8W_aQfwfUmdcsPMPZrQW7XTmb_P7nnqHLlNORg3i5KtFVrNPQ3mmJYmp2ljTrwON3i_JYHisgQff0SIst3nIMOOhbKJRD_2A52_-Lgv5uEYrpuKb1vAJN4rQS0jpCCaLEQ-66rkMR/s1600/Hannan_Hussain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1156" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYELS8W_aQfwfUmdcsPMPZrQW7XTmb_P7nnqHLlNORg3i5KtFVrNPQ3mmJYmp2ljTrwON3i_JYHisgQff0SIst3nIMOOhbKJRD_2A52_-Lgv5uEYrpuKb1vAJN4rQS0jpCCaLEQ-66rkMR/s320/Hannan_Hussain.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hannan Hussain</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am a newly qualified therapeutic radiographer who was fortunate to train at The Christie. As a student radiographer I had come across a number of patients smelling of cigarette smoke, however, I lacked the confidence to approach them and was unsure of what support I could provide or signpost them to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As part of the student training programme, I had the opportunity to shadow different healthcare professionals as they went about their work. This inter-professional learning experience is designed to help students understand the different roles within healthcare and to learn about the benefits of collaboration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">During my second year of training, I had the opportunity to shadow Charlotte Finchett, the lead health promotion advisor at The Christie. Charlotte’s role involves supporting patients to make lifestyle changes to improve their treatment and recovery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In the time I spent working with Charlotte I observed how she provided individualised care and attention to each patient and their families. Working with Charlotte gave me insight into the intervention techniques to empower and engage smokers to reduce and give up smoking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Charlotte helped me gain the confidence to refer my patients to her and explain to patients how this type of support has helped other patients reduce their smoking or even stop altogether.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a non-smoker, I had often wondered why some patients continue to smoke after their cancer diagnosis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It is well established academically that radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients is less efficient for those who continue to smoke tobacco, and that patients who continue to smoke also experience worse side effects from treatment and have a poorer overall quality of life after their treatment is complete.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At the end of my second year of training, the deadline for my dissertation proposal was looming. Having worked with Charlotte I thought it would be interesting to look more closely at why cancer patients continue to smoke. It was a topical issue with the potential to improve patient care. I wanted to ask the question: ‘Are we doing enough to help patients quit smoking?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I contacted Charlotte in my third year so I could discuss the ideas I had for my dissertation. On the afternoon I met Charlotte she was working with Dr Andrew Sykes at his clinic. For a second time, I witnessed care that was tailored to the individual with options such as relaxation techniques, nicotine replacement and even relapse techniques.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I had the opportunity to discuss with Dr Sykes and Charlotte the common barriers to smoking cessation and the importance of having a key contact to refer patients to for support.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The title of my dissertation was ‘Why do cancer patients continue to smoke and what are the arising issues in delivering smoking intervention: a therapeutic radiographer perspective’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I looked at the risk factors for continued smoking amongst cancer patients such as cancer type, socio-economic demographics, mental health issues and other factors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">After entering my dissertation into the Imaging and Therapy Practice student competition last summer, I was awarded joint first place and my article was published in Synergy magazine (a key radiotherapy publication). I was also invited to present a poster version of my dissertation at the annual radiotherapy conference in January 2018.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to promote good health and wellbeing, whether they are related to treatment side effects or to generally adopting a healthy lifestyle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Working with Charlotte and studying the issue of smoking cessation has given me the self-belief and enthusiasm as an allied healthcare professional in a hospital environment to work hard to improve patient care, to support patients holistically in making healthier choices and to raise awareness about smoking cessation and other important public health issues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a newly qualified radiographer who trained at The Christie, I can proudly say that we have a fantastic smoking cessation referral service to help patients stop smoking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I am now working on a study with Laura Charlesworth, a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, and Daniel Hutton, the change manager at Clatterbridge hospital. The study is funded by a College of Radiographers industrial partnership grant and aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers and facilitators to the delivery of smoking cessation interventions within radiotherapy practice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It was National No Smoking Day on 16 March. If you want to give up smoking please visit <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/smokefree">www.nhs.uk/smokefree</a> or if you are a patient or carer at The Christie please email <a href="mailto:Charlotte.Finchett@christie.nhs.uk">Charlotte Finchett</a> for advice and support.</span></div>
The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-86207835496609611142018-02-01T10:00:00.000+00:002018-02-01T10:00:32.874+00:00Knowing that I was now under the care of a Christie consultant meant I could start to think about a future - Lynne Potts<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lynne Potts, Christie patient and fundraiser</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe00b7NqO5cXJs7-C4i2Nc6mAw7MQJaoFEQVHnkkRAi_8Sql-wWHfuKLCKlsgHiHAi-Ka2QSC3MCxr4SQhMMsmAOao7os9OUh6gDHDI3cyDo_-0jL05AKhKxwj85gFVjVb9l2e22jXmba/s1600/Christie+Mounted+Visit+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe00b7NqO5cXJs7-C4i2Nc6mAw7MQJaoFEQVHnkkRAi_8Sql-wWHfuKLCKlsgHiHAi-Ka2QSC3MCxr4SQhMMsmAOao7os9OUh6gDHDI3cyDo_-0jL05AKhKxwj85gFVjVb9l2e22jXmba/s320/Christie+Mounted+Visit+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lynne Potts</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Since being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in October 2016 and treated at The Christie I’m now aiming to raise £25k for breast care at The Christie as a way of saying thank you for my treatment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in 2016, in my mind, I was a fit and healthy 55-year-old. There was no history of cancer in my family and I thought cancer was an illness that would never affect me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How wrong I was though! I had been suffering from back pain since May 2016 but because of my phobia of doctors, I had gone to see a physio thinking I had a sporting injury. After a few weeks, he said that I should see a doctor because I wasn’t responding to treatment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My GP referred me to a rheumatologist and a scan showed I had a secondary tumour of the spine and because of my age the most likely source of the primary tumour was my breast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Within days I had seen a breast surgeon who told me that he was optimistic The Christie would be able to treat me. That gave me a real boost and knowing that I was now under the care of a Christie consultant, I could start to think about a future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My consultant was amazing. Recognising the seriousness of my back condition and that without surgery I would end up losing my ability to walk, he took responsibility for the coordination of my care. I was really starting to struggle with my mobility and it was imperative that my back was sorted as quickly as possible. Neurosurgeons performed major emergency surgery in November 2016 and I was miraculously out of bed within 36 hours of surgery and learning to walk again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Within a month I was able to walk with the aid of a stick and was back at The Christie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My consultant assessed that I was fit enough to start 18 weeks of chemotherapy but I was upset that I couldn’t go back to work because of the toxicity of the drugs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the chemotherapy was tough, I also had funny experiences on the way, managing to get myself admitted to hospital with a high temperature, only to find my thermometer was broken!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-qafkjZVepthMyLpu8u8NXH6Tw2ynxbhFZlkw6_-XGwcY2aC-ZyhKGDKiYiMiG_ITt0byqECyw0C_1W-QO5suYytrrcp1pJBsoydECcVpyTF_bLytlgf_bYcO-YeBr7ZFJL_HSoWs1C/s1600/Christie+Mounted+Visit+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1600" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-qafkjZVepthMyLpu8u8NXH6Tw2ynxbhFZlkw6_-XGwcY2aC-ZyhKGDKiYiMiG_ITt0byqECyw0C_1W-QO5suYytrrcp1pJBsoydECcVpyTF_bLytlgf_bYcO-YeBr7ZFJL_HSoWs1C/s320/Christie+Mounted+Visit+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lynne arranged for the police horses to visit The Christie</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, I responded to the chemotherapy well and returned to work in April 2017. Since then, I have been able to combine an active life and work with ongoing treatment. I had radiotherapy on my back and I have immunotherapy infusions and regular scans to check there hasn’t been any further spread of cancer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am determined to lead a normal life for as long as I can, and my way of saying thank you is a fundraising campaign – the Windmill – which will raise £25k for breast care at The Christie and £25k for the neurosurgery department at Salford Royal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I won’t give up until the last penny has been handed over!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have been inspired by Lynne’s story and would like to donate, please visit <a href="http://www.christies.org/donate">www.christies.org/donate</a> or call 0161 446 3988.</span><br />
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-9139044079678272592018-01-15T17:20:00.000+00:002018-01-15T17:20:58.509+00:00The Beat it Project will 50 involve taking photographs of 50 famous drummers to raise £50k for clinical research at The Christie - Dionne Cyprus<h2>
Dionne Cyprus, clinical photographer at The Christie</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQ9YL-rfvtXNLBd9w5CcwdQ22DQ2vInf-s0A7Q1yruEYnXB9qzcIX1yPyzJ-i2YAVNbHFgWVw8ZNpxq8c_SBuGtmhXKNzSMuRkKfmSgMVmEeoHrNYUk9UH-4KnWe5LAuWr806UUIdrFdW/s1600/Dionne_head+and+shoulders+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1208" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQ9YL-rfvtXNLBd9w5CcwdQ22DQ2vInf-s0A7Q1yruEYnXB9qzcIX1yPyzJ-i2YAVNbHFgWVw8ZNpxq8c_SBuGtmhXKNzSMuRkKfmSgMVmEeoHrNYUk9UH-4KnWe5LAuWr806UUIdrFdW/s320/Dionne_head+and+shoulders+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dionne Cyprus</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have worked as a clinical photographer in the medical illustration department at The Christie since 2005.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first became aware of The Christie and its excellent reputation during visits with my husband Chris, after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2001. He was treated with radiotherapy and surgery and we felt very lucky at that point to have The Christie nearby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a second more aggressive tumour two years later, completely unrelated to the first. Back to The Christie he came for more surgery and radiotherapy. We were so impressed by all the staff, particularly the radiotherapy team, who put him at ease and made the time spent there easier to cope with. The after effects of Chris’s treatment were difficult for him to deal with. We were also told we would have only a 20% chance of having children using IVF treatment, which came as a shock to both of us at such a young age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After Chris had recovered from this second diagnosis, I saw a job advertised at The Christie, for a clinical photographer and I knew I had to go for it. I was offered the job and felt really proud to become a part of the medical illustration team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In late 2008, after a great deal of thought, we decided to go ahead with IVF. Fortunately for us, the treatment worked and we had our son, Drew in 2009. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After having Drew and realising how lucky we were to have this amazing hospital on our doorstep, I decided I wanted to start my own fundraising project to help generate money for men’s cancer research and help support people in a similar situation to Chris. I started coming up with ideas for projects which would combine my two passions, drumming and photography, and the beat it project was born! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made a decision to set the bar high at a 50K target, and the idea gradually evolved that I would be taking portraits of 50 drummers and then holding an auction event at an iconic Manchester venue further down the line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5NiqouMOBxyY5xvHRoqlcXEi5xmQW8vo11xro8g1KCrZwc6c-LKZsy8KD-Gqg9fVO53znwQQS1dwE0EUwTFQbYYqn26BJORNTFEzWUpo6kxlZefvMv9u3sjIkEeVrIDrZ7xWdT50LXew/s1600/Dionne+Cyprus+main+page+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5NiqouMOBxyY5xvHRoqlcXEi5xmQW8vo11xro8g1KCrZwc6c-LKZsy8KD-Gqg9fVO53znwQQS1dwE0EUwTFQbYYqn26BJORNTFEzWUpo6kxlZefvMv9u3sjIkEeVrIDrZ7xWdT50LXew/s320/Dionne+Cyprus+main+page+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dionne with Professor Noel Clarke and Mel Stewart (sponsor)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In collaboration with Noel Clarke, Professor of urological oncology at The Christie, I decided to donate the money raised towards funding a live tissue bio-bank, allowing research to be carried out into the specific causes of men’s cancers at the hospital. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most difficult aspect of the project has been managing the logistics of travelling and organising photo sessions, which can be tricky with high profile drummers who work to an extremely tight schedule. I have been very lucky with most of the people I have contacted so far, who have all been really generous with their time. I have also met some amazing people through the project and managed to get sponsors on board including the British Drum Company in Stockport, a team of craftsmen who build bespoke kits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The project has ultimately shown me how kind people are, with amazing donations and help coming from people when you least expect it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far I have photographed Nick Mason <i>(Pink Floyd)</i>, Chad Smith <i>(Red Hot Chili peppers),</i> Brad Wilk <i>(Rage Against the Machine)</i>, Ben Thatcher <i>(Royal Blood)</i>, along with local drummers Joe Donovan <i>(Blossoms)</i> and Paul Kehoe <i>(Peter Hook and the light); </i>and I hope to secure many more in the coming months … including my personal favourite Dave Grohl of legendary Nirvana/Foo Fighters fame!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out the website <a href="http://www.beat-it-project.org/">www.beat-it-project.org</a> to keep up to date with the latest news and to donate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are a Manchester based company and would like to contribute to the beat it fund by becoming an official sponsor for the project, please contact Dionne through the beat it <a href="http://www.beat-it-project.org/">website</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020973562291356018.post-85357972014407827142018-01-08T10:00:00.000+00:002018-01-15T17:25:50.136+00:00I hope that my contribution has contributed to furthering the research that will one day help to eradicate this insidious disease - Tony Collier<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tony Collier, Christie patient and fundraiser</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tony Collier</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you hear those awful words ‘cancer’ and ‘incurable’ and it’s you that they are talking about, it’s incredibly tough. No one, other than fellow cancer sufferers, has any idea how indescribably difficult it is. Your world simply falls apart, you are terrified about the future, you don’t understand anything because you can’t focus and you just don’t know how you are going to get through the next five minutes let alone the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What made things worse for me was that I went to see a doctor on 8th May this year because I thought I had a groin strain from running and was due to run an ultra-marathon in South Africa on 4th June involving a 56-mile run and 6,500 feet of climbing in very warm weather. I thought that a cortisone injection might sort it out and enable me to compete in the ultra. I had run two marathons a week apart in April, and as far as I was concerned I was superman - super fit and indestructible!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An MRI scan showed something untoward and the doctor sent me for more tests immediately. At 8pm on 9th May the doctor broke the news to me that he thought I had prostate cancer that had spread to the pelvic bone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Within two weeks this was confirmed and I knew that the cancer was widespread throughout my bones. I knew that if I didn’t respond to treatment it was likely that I might only have two years left. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Given that I only passed 60 in February, and was super fit, it would be fair to say that I was totally shell-shocked and my wife and I pretty much fell apart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the following weeks, The Christie became our second home, with weekly visits and lots of tests. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had descended into a horrible state of fear, depression and deep concern for the future, often having feelings of total and utter terror.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, the incredibly dedicated team at The Christie gradually brought us back to a state nearer normality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The doctor, nurses and other members of The Christie team helped bring clarity of thought and focus. They gave my wife and I a huge amount of reassurance that we desperately needed. And, whilst things will never be quite the same again, we know that I am in the best hands - safe and caring. We also received support from the Maggie’s centre at The Christie and from Macmillan nurses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Much of the support I have benefited from is only available at The Christie because of the hospital’s charity, and thousands of amazing fundraisers, who make the additional services possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Christie charity raises money for research, patient care and treatment, education, and extra patient services. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Christie’s involvement in clinical trials meant that I was one of the first people to benefit from the findings of the STAMPEDE trial. This meant I had access to an alternative, potentially more beneficial treatment regime and was, at least for the time being, able to avoid chemotherapy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAW_8wsungKuaY4k0dbGTq604uOsiuUWBfS_NMRFvfqHt9-JlQ5qiN961Vn4nxlytvRetH9dlIDgSInYqF-eSEW3oibJFyVwWq3C4VGL-2PS56YKJw6Wi_wrIsuzry0LTo6X-Fayp4kZl/s1600/IMG_3161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAW_8wsungKuaY4k0dbGTq604uOsiuUWBfS_NMRFvfqHt9-JlQ5qiN961Vn4nxlytvRetH9dlIDgSInYqF-eSEW3oibJFyVwWq3C4VGL-2PS56YKJw6Wi_wrIsuzry0LTo6X-Fayp4kZl/s320/IMG_3161.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tony running</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have also benefitted from the alternative therapies that are funded by The Christie charity. One of the major side effects of prostate cancer treatment is the loss of testosterone which leads to horrendous fatigue plus hot flushes (now I know how the women feel). I was guided to try acupuncture, which is offered to help patients with these side effects, and immediately after the first weekly session felt so much better and able to cope with day to day living.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over my life, I’ve done massive amounts of community work. In recent years as chairman of Altrincham and Sale chamber of commerce and the Altrincham town centre neighbourhood plan, both organisations are heavily involved in the regeneration of Altrincham town centre. I’m also secretary of my running club, which involves giving up a lot of my time. However, there I was after a cancer diagnosis, the beneficiary of the work of others. Work that may well prolong my life, but will certainly make it more bearable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Having seen first-hand the work of The Christie and knowing about its work from friends and family members affected by cancer, I felt that I wanted to give something back. I also needed a challenge and an aim to get me back out running, so I decided to enter the Manchester half marathon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doing this gave me some focus and I asked The Christie charity if I could run it for them and raise some funds. I felt pretty comfortable that I would be able to reach the target of £100 but have since been staggered that, with gift aid and off-line donations, I have raised nearly £5,000 with more to come! No pressure then!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Having recovered from a stress fracture of the pelvic bone where it had been weakened by cancer, I got back to running. My oncologist had warned me to expect to be a lot slower due to the lack of testosterone, and I found that it was taking 20% more effort to run 10% slower than pre-treatment. However, I was determined to run this half marathon and there was a lot of money resting on it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I managed to build up to 10 miles in training, albeit tediously and painfully slow. I took the view that if I could do 10 miles then surely I could do 13.1 on race day. It seemed like a plan!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77GTR6lPSV-LXDM6vRAJwxbIK6aKb_G6U4jNPseBSGrMQwFZ6rUhpnxM1W_oPbIcfsIwhwrd_fkZXTiAcYYj3QHe5KlxJdZEGP9zQBt5ExdwdNLPzmrWHKyo7jVwJNBsSAcNjYu5XtgqG/s1600/IMG_1236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="750" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77GTR6lPSV-LXDM6vRAJwxbIK6aKb_G6U4jNPseBSGrMQwFZ6rUhpnxM1W_oPbIcfsIwhwrd_fkZXTiAcYYj3QHe5KlxJdZEGP9zQBt5ExdwdNLPzmrWHKyo7jVwJNBsSAcNjYu5XtgqG/s320/IMG_1236.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2016 I ran the Manchester half marathon in 1 hour 39 minutes and my best ever time was 1 hour 31 minutes. My ambition for the 2017 race was to finish in one piece without killing myself and, maybe, 2 hours 10 minutes would be possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The race morning was an untypical sunny and warm autumn Manchester day, which immediately made things tougher. I decided to run with the sub-two-hour pacemaker (roughly 9 minutes per mile) and see how long I could last. Amazingly, I found myself feeling comfortable running at 8 minutes 45 seconds per mile and pulled ahead of the pacemaker, but always with the thought that I would probably have to walk a bit once I got past 10 miles. Remarkably, I didn’t have to walk and eventually crossed the line in 1 hour 56 minutes feeling totally elated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The run gave me a massive mental boost with the thought that I had achieved something that I knew, even to me as an ultra-marathon runner, was going to be really tough. At the same time, I knew that I had done a huge amount of good for an amazing charity that helps me and so many other cancer patients. I hope that my contribution has, in some small way, contributed to furthering the research that will one day help to eradicate this insidious disease which affects the lives of so many people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And finally, prostate cancer is often a silent symptomless killer. I would urge all men to get themselves regularly tested from their mid 40’s onwards until the time when regular screening is introduced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To find out more about how to support The Christie charity please visit <a href="http://www.christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity">www.christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity</a>/</span><br />
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The Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15439683013452084454noreply@blogger.com1