I'm proud to be one of the 70 members of staff from The Christie running to celebrate 70 years of the NHS - Eve Lightfoot

Eve Lightfoot, director of workforce

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!


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!

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.

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.

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.

So I'm here again about to run The Great Manchester Run for The Christie and to also celebrate 70 years of the NHS.

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.

Secondly, I like to raise money for The Christie charity as my way of giving back to the organisation.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 gmr@christie.nhs.uk.

Choosing to have my treatment at The Christie was the best decision I ever made - Esther Parkinson

Esther Parkinson, Christie patient and fundraiser

Esther Parkinson

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2013. It’s a date that will always stick in my mind, and sometimes still feels like yesterday. Diagnosis day was a very dark day. 

Anyone who has been affected by cancer, directly or indirectly will know the impact it has on your life. Not just yours but others around you too. It turns your world upside down and rips up the rule book on emotions and how you should feel. You don’t know where to put yourself, what to do, what to say, whether to cry, whether to shout etc. It sends your head completely into a spin.

I was diagnosed at my local hospital in Blackpool. At the time, my mum and my sister were with me when I received the news.  We went home that day, very quiet and caught up in our own thoughts. 

Fortunately for me, my sister is a consultant oncologist (in Cambridge) and a few days later, she recommended The Christie as a place to have my treatment. Although I’d vaguely heard of The Christie, I wasn’t aware of its renowned reputation and the brilliant work it does. So for me, I was weighing up having my treatment just 15 minutes down the road in Blackpool, versus travelling more than an hour each way to Manchester every time. 

My head was still scrambled at that point, as I was still trying to deal with the news of my diagnosis. So in my eyes, the less travel involved, the better - especially if I was feeling unwell due to the treatment. I wasn’t focusing on the important bit, which was where would be the best place to have treatment.

Lengthy discussions took place with my sister, and thankfully she put her foot down and insisted that I go to The Christie. She explained all the reasons why and highlighted that it was a specialist cancer hospital and was not only the number one hospital in the North West, but the best in the country. I couldn’t really argue against that, so I agreed to go The Christie. 

It was the best decision I was ever to make. 

Upon walking through the doors of The Christie, it instantly feels welcoming and has a friendly feel that I’ve never experienced in any other hospital. 

All the professionals and staff always make you feel like an individual, they genuinely want to help you get better, and help make the journey as stress-free as possible. They are obviously aware that you are going through a traumatic time, and there is always someone to speak to or hold your hand (physically as well as metaphorically). 

I have a phobia of needles, and the very sight of one (and even talking about it at times) sends me white and wobbly! Apart from the obvious diagnosis, having to have treatment intravenously was my worst nightmare come true, not to mention all the blood tests required. They all involved a dreaded needle. It was just unthinkable, and I had no way of getting past how I would cope. 

On my first treatment day, I mentioned my phobia to the chemo team and they made a referral there and then to the complementary therapies team. Within about half an hour someone came to see me, and started talking me through some cognitive behavioural therapy techniques and ways to try to relax to cope with the forthcoming treatment. They were extremely helpful and patient with me, and although stress levels were still quite high, they had reduced somewhat by the time it came to chemo time. 

On the following treatment day, I was visited once again by the complementary therapies team, and again they talked me through some more relaxation techniques. This time they gave me an aromatherapy stick to sniff (a bit like a Vicks inhaler but with aromatherapy vapours) when I was feeling anxious, and explained how to associate this with pleasant experiences and happy times. This proved to be a successful technique and helped make the treatment a calmer experience for me.

The following few treatments I learnt to cope without help from staff, using the techniques I had been shown together with the aromatherapy stick. It was a genius invention but such a simple one too. As my treatments were coming to an end, I was just about managing my phobia. What started out as something I couldn’t even comprehend going through, ended up being something I could just about cope with, without passing out!! This is thanks to the wonderful help of the complementary therapies team. 

My penultimate treatment was on Christmas Eve. I had mixed feelings about coming in the day before Christmas. But actually, it turned out to be a really lovely day. The staff were very upbeat, with their Christmas hats on, and it was a positive place to be (as it always is). I remember being offered a foot massage that day, which I happily accepted, and treated it as a little Christmas present! This was another marvellous relaxation technique and I pretty much sailed through my chemo that day. Another one ticked off the list and without any dramas too. 

Christie charity fundraisers David and Esther

I can’t fault any of the staff at The Christie. All the nurses were brilliant with me. They were always very approachable and introduced themselves at all times. They had a great bedside manner, offered advice when needed and listened to me whenever I had any questions about my treatment. Most of all, they treated me like a normal human being, and not just a number. They would happily chat with me about everyday stuff, whilst carrying out their duties and looking after me.

Everyone at The Christie is fabulous, from the volunteers, to the porters, to the nurses, to the doctors and the administration staff. There is always a smile on a face and a helping hand whenever it’s needed. 

The Christie has never felt like a hospital to me. As many people have said before – it’s like a second home - and I will always be comfortable visiting the place. The corridors are filled with positivity, despite so much illness being around. 

It just goes to show that The Christie is a place that really does care, discover and teach.

I am bursting with pride that The Christie offered me a golden bond place for The London Marathon - Louise Wilce

Louise Wilce, Christie fundraiser

Louise Wilce (right) running with niece Violet and son Alexander

The Christie has been there for my family time and time again over the last 20 years or so…our story goes like this. Within my family are carriers of the BRCA1 gene. Female carriers have a greatly increased lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and male carriers have an increased risk of prostate cancer. 

In recent years there has been much publicity regarding this gene, with celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Christina Applegate announcing they too carried this gene and would undergo preventative surgery under the eyes of the world.

In my family, we also do what we can to fight, to keep going, and not let this gene affect the way we live our lives. My female relatives with a positive BRCA1 result have had preventative surgery i.e. double mastectomies and removal of ovaries. I include myself in this, I had a double mastectomy and reconstruction in 2011, aged 29, and I plan to have my oophorectomy and hysterectomy in June 2017, not long after completing the London Marathon. 

The Christie has been there for my family in terms of counselling, information, recovery and, for those who weren’t so lucky to catch it in time, treatment and palliative care. Closest to my heart is my father, Geoff Cowey, who passed away to bile duct cancer in October 2014.

My dad was just 59 when he died. He had chemotherapy and follow up treatment at The Christie, but sadly his cancer was very advanced and complicated. I went with him to a lot of his appointments. I was terrified I would see him in pain, scared and hooked up to drips on a bleak hospital ward. It wasn’t like that at all. It was comfortable, the staff were friendly, and we ended up having a right laugh sometimes. There was a kind of ‘blitz spirit’ amongst patients. Maybe this was because everybody was truly in it together, maybe it was because of the unique spirit of Manchester and the other Mancunians also having treatment. But I really believe it is because The Christie is a very, very special place.

Louise's dad Geoff

After losing dad I broke down and was eventually diagnosed with postnatal depression (my son was 18 months old at this point) and post traumatic stress disorder. It felt inescapable. My dad was a lovely man and my very best friend. How on earth could I go on without him? I trudged through each day. I knew my tiny son and husband needed me. I knew something needed to change. I needed a focus, something to break the cycle of work, caring for my son, crying, drinking…

I don’t know what changed but one evening  I thought ‘enough is enough’. I wanted to feel better and start living again. I also felt a huge desire to give something back to the people who had helped my dad and my family so much during those dark times. So….I went online and entered The Great Manchester Run, a 10k race in my hometown of Manchester, a place which we love and reminds me of my dad on every corner and every street.

So fast forward from that first run one freezing January evening and, six months after losing dad, myself and most of my family, including dad’s two brothers and two sisters and a handful of cousins, ran our first 10k, the Great Manchester Run 2015, both in his memory and for The Christie. We were so pleased that something positive could come from something so tragic.

I don’t remember waking up one day and suddenly feeling ok, but gradually I rediscovered what it felt like to be happy again. You know when you have a really, really good run where your heart sings and everything around you is bursting with colour and light? Every single run is like that for me. Of course, I’ve had the odd injury and frustrating times, but I am so grateful for what running has given me that I can’t ever see myself giving up.

Running hasn’t just been my saviour. It’s saved my family too. Most of us are still running and I plan to keep it going with my son also. Alexander ran the Mini Great Manchester Run, aged three, in memory of his Grandi in 2016 and now goes to a local kids run free club - he wants shiny medals like his mummy has! My cousin Emily ran the 2016 London Marathon for the same fantastic cause. I went to watch her race in London and as I saw her with her medal and my dad’s name on her back I thought, ‘I have got to do this too.” 

So my next goal? Well, I didn’t get a ballot place for London, so am bursting with pride and excitement that The Christie offered me one of their 2017 golden bond places, so I am well into my training plan at the minute and loving it. The Christie is such an amazing place and I will always, always support them and raise funds for them, for the rest of my life. We’ve raised almost £6,000 in my dad’s memory so far and our plan is to just keep going. Keep running. 

When someone you love receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, your world crumbles and you very quickly learn to live in the moment, because you have no control over your future. What the team at The Christie taught us was that, whilst tomorrow could not be guaranteed, today could at least be ok.

The Christie charity is a very inspirational place to work and is full of people who want to make a difference - Louise Stimson

Louise Stimson, Head of Fundraising, The Christie charity

Being a Manchester girl I am so proud to be the Head of Fundraising at The Christie charity. Friends and family members have passed through The Christie doors at one point or another, which made me more determined to work here.  

I am so pleased to be part of a much loved Manchester institution that helps so many people.

At The Christie charity we raise funds to provide services for patients that go above and beyond what the NHS is able to provide. Whether we are funding the art room or big construction projects such as the forthcoming Integrated Procedures Unit, our primary concern is ensuring that patients are able to receive the best treatment and care possible.  

When I started in my role a year ago, in September, I remember being really excited to work here. Meeting my team and other colleagues only reaffirmed that I had made the right move. The charity is a very inspirational place to work and is full of people who want to make a difference. I see this passion from our staff on a daily basis.

One of my first duties when I started was to host the ‘Walk of Hope’ at Tatton Park. Meeting so many inspirational people in one evening was quite overwhelming but it left such a positive impression on me.  

Walking through the corridors in the hospital and seeing patients being helped by our hospital staff reminds me why I’m here and constantly reignites my passion for raising those much needed funds.

People have many different reasons for fundraising for us, they might be receiving treatment here or might have been a patient themselves in the past. We also have lots of fundraisers who are the friends or relatives of someone who has been treated by The Christie. I hear wonderful stories from our supporters all the time about the excellent treatment and care they have had from the doctors and nurses.

Our supporters raised an amazing £15.9 million last year which is the most we have ever raised. It makes me so proud to head up this successful fundraising team which, through the money raised, makes such a huge difference to the lives of Christie patients.

This year we have introduced a number of exciting new events, one of them being the Fire Walk in March which definitely caught our supporters interest. As it was so popular we are hosting another one next March so sign up quick! As I’m not a runner or a cyclist, this event enabled me to participate in one of our sporting challenges. It was certainly nerve wracking to be the first person to walk across the coals that evening but I’m so glad to have taken part. My next challenge will be the Great North Swim next year and I will be starting my training soon!

We are a very fortunate charity as we have so many active supporters, but we need that support more than ever. We have exciting and ambitious plans for the future.

We want to be able to continue to bring more of the world’s leading cancer experts and their teams to Manchester as part of our academic investment plan focusing particularly on six identified themes - lung cancer, radiation therapy, haematological oncology, women’s cancer, melanoma and personalised/stratified cancer therapy.

We also plan to bring more state of the art innovative equipment to The Christie, including a revolutionary MR Linac scanner enabling experts to deliver more targeted, personalised and advanced radiotherapy for our patients.

We are also raising £4.8m to build an Integrated Procedure Unit. This development is needed to match demand for day case medical procedures such as minor surgery and endoscopies, which are all increasing. This will enable a patient’s treatment to be less fragmented across the site.

Our fundraising continues this year for a dedicated research room on our new proton beam therapy centre, and it is wonderful to see the build progressing so fast on the site. This year we will also be raising funds to replace the outdated patient entertainment system with a hospital wide, multi-media entertainment and information system. Our vision is that this will be a mobile ‘in-flight’ style infotainment service for both inpatients and outpatients.

We will be launching a new fundraising campaign in the autumn which I know will inspire more and more people to get involved with the charity. I can’t say much more about it at the moment but it’s all very exciting!  We are also so pleased this year to be able to announce that we are the official charity partner for the 2017 Great Manchester Run. We will have the partnership for the next three years and it also involves the introduction of a new half marathon on the same day! Soon we will also be announcing a new event that we will be hosting in March 2017 at Beetham Tower in Manchester City centre. Watch this space!

One thing I’ve learnt in this job is that there are always lots of great things going on at The Christie and lots to do to make sure we can fund them, but I know that my team and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s an absolute pleasure to do what we do and I’m very lucky to do this job.