Grandfather praises ‘first-class’ care from Weston Park Cancer Centre following treatment for prostate cancer.
6 November 2024
One year after his devasting prostate cancer diagnosis, 69-year-old grandfather recalls the ‘excellent’ care provided by hospital staff leading up to the moment he rang the end of treatment bell.
“I was suffering from lower abdominal pains and had a couple of really painful incidents, the first of which I ended up in A&E. The discomforts continued until I finally consulted my GP just before Christmas 2022.”
Mike was initially referred to his local hospital in Chesterfield where he underwent several tests before receiving the heartbreaking news that he had prostate cancer.
“The words still came as a major shock. My immediate thoughts were, would I see my grandchildren grow up? How long had I got to live? How painful will the treatment be? Indeed, will there be any treatment? What are my options? Where do I go from here?”
Mike was informed by the medical team that the cancer was localised and had not spread to any other areas of his body, and treatment options were discussed with the clinical and radiotherapy teams. Michael was given the option of surgery, radiotherapy and hormone therapy, or Brachytherapy, where implants would be placed in the body to control the spread and growth of the cancer.
“I was initially unsure, as this seemed to be a decision of a lifetime but after a lot of consideration and advice from the Consultant Urologist, I decided to put my trust in the science and elected to proceed with the recommended hormone therapy, followed by radiotherapy at Weston Park Cancer Centre.”
Mike began his first hormone treatment injections in June 2023 at his local GP surgery, until he was ready to begin a 20-day course of radiotherapy at Weston Park Cancer Centre on 24th January 2024.
As Mike lived in Chesterfield, transfer to and from the Sheffield hospital for his daily appointments was provided by Weston Park Cancer Charity, on their free-of-charge bus.
“Many other patients used this facility, and a strange camaraderie was established by all on the bus who made the daily trip to Sheffield. No one seemed to be afraid of facing their problem and were always willing to speak and talk about the cancers that were affecting them. It surprised me just how cheerful and “matter of fact” these people were and how they faced their predicaments head on.”
Mike received his final dose of radiotherapy on the 20th of February 2024.
“Strangely, I regretted leaving newly made friends and acquaintances on the daily ritual of transportation, but I knew I could look forward to the future with some degree of positivity. On leaving the hospital department, I happily rang the bell as my treatment, had hopefully, been completed, but sadly reflecting on the fact that some would not be so fortunate.”
Mike captured a photo of the Linear Accelerator 7 (LINAC), the machine that delivered his radiation therapy, along with the medical team that cared for him during his final radiotherapy session.
“The professionalism, empathy and total understanding of all the medical teams and staff involved in my treatment cannot be measured with any number of words, suffice to say it was first class and excellent throughout the whole process, along with the aftercare provision which was to follow.”
“Dr Din and all his various teams at the Radiotherapy Department at Weston Park Cancer Centre, who, on a daily-basis deal proficiently and adeptly with some of the most distressing cases in respect of cancer in its many forms. As well as staff at the Chesterfield Macmillan Centre whose advise over the many consultations was invaluable.”
“Finally, a testimony of gratitude to Weston Park Cancer Charity volunteers and staff for all their hard work supporting patients, and particularly to all the drivers who give up their time freely, to afford patients the provision of transport to and from Weston Park Cancer Centre.”
ENDS
