I just can’t praise the service enough.
John, who is 76, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 after experiencing symptoms he put down to “a bit of waterwork trouble and just old people’s problems”. Following a referral to a urologist by his GP, a PSA test showed high levels of prostate specific antigen in his blood, for which he received hormone treatment. In the meantime, a biopsy revealed the real culprit and he was immediately referred for radiotherapy at Leeds hospital.
“It was an intensive seven-week course”, recalls John, “pretty much every day except weekends”. Upon completion, he continued his hormone treatment for a few years, which was modified as his PSA levels crept up. “I was then put on a 10-cycle course of chemo which started in February 2023 on what we call the bus,” as John refers to the mobile care unit.
He is now six weeks post treatment, although his visits to the unit didn’t stop there. “A few minor issues relating to side effects cropped up afterwards which needed attending to. It was really useful that at least one of them was taken care of on the mobile unit, where they were able to give me prescribed medication and advice on how to manage the side effects.”
John knew all about the unit even before his diagnosis, as his wife Nancy had promoted its launch at Airedale Hospital when she was a cancer patient herself. Ironically, she never got to experience the benefits of the unit first hand as at the time, she was coming to the end of her treatment on the Haematology and Oncology Day Unit (HODU). She didn’t let this fact escape John when it was his turn to receive treatment.
“While I was having chemo on the unit, she’d light-heartedly rib me because she knew that it took just half an hour before I’d be done with my treatment. Here I was, going for 10 cycles and never once having a serious delay. Whereas at the hospital, you’d spend ages finding a space in the car park, a long way from the hospital itself, then make your way to HODU via a “half mile” corridor. Upon arrival, she sometimes faced a four hour wait for her treatment as her drug couldn’t be prepped until she arrived. Then there were other things going on such as emergencies, plus HODU was always very full. Although the treatment itself only took half an hour, it wasn’t unusual for Nancy to be at the hospital until 8pm.
John smiles and acknowledges this unique situation.
You could say that as a family, we can truly mark the big difference the unit has made.”
It’s safe to say that his experience couldn’t have been more opposite to that of Nancy’s. “On the unit there’s less noise; it’s less cluttered with people and equipment. I’d also say it is much less stressful. It’s a friendly, relaxing space. More than anything it’s efficient – you get seen to and then you’re off pretty quickly.”
He only lives a couple of miles away from the hospital, which is where the unit is also situated, something he deems himself “fortunate” for. “I’m not somebody who’s benefitted because I live 20 miles away from the hospital. I have benefitted because I’ve had access to a much quicker alternative means of receiving treatment. I just can’t praise the service enough.”
I just can’t praise the service enough.
John, who is 76, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 after experiencing symptoms he put down to “a bit of waterwork trouble and just old people’s problems”. Following a referral to a urologist by his GP, a PSA test showed high levels of prostate specific antigen in his blood, for which he received hormone treatment. In the meantime, a biopsy revealed the real culprit and he was immediately referred for radiotherapy at Leeds hospital.
“It was an intensive seven-week course”, recalls John, “pretty much every day except weekends”. Upon completion, he continued his hormone treatment for a few years, which was modified as his PSA levels crept up. “I was then put on a 10-cycle course of chemo which started in February 2023 on what we call the bus,” as John refers to the mobile care unit.
He is now six weeks post treatment, although his visits to the unit didn’t stop there. “A few minor issues relating to side effects cropped up afterwards which needed attending to. It was really useful that at least one of them was taken care of on the mobile unit, where they were able to give me prescribed medication and advice on how to manage the side effects.”
John knew all about the unit even before his diagnosis, as his wife Nancy had promoted its launch at Airedale Hospital when she was a cancer patient herself. Ironically, she never got to experience the benefits of the unit first hand as at the time, she was coming to the end of her treatment on the Haematology and Oncology Day Unit (HODU). She didn’t let this fact escape John when it was his turn to receive treatment.
“While I was having chemo on the unit, she’d light-heartedly rib me because she knew that it took just half an hour before I’d be done with my treatment. Here I was, going for 10 cycles and never once having a serious delay. Whereas at the hospital, you’d spend ages finding a space in the car park, a long way from the hospital itself, then make your way to HODU via a “half mile” corridor. Upon arrival, she sometimes faced a four hour wait for her treatment as her drug couldn’t be prepped until she arrived. Then there were other things going on such as emergencies, plus HODU was always very full. Although the treatment itself only took half an hour, it wasn’t unusual for Nancy to be at the hospital until 8pm.
John smiles and acknowledges this unique situation.
You could say that as a family, we can truly mark the big difference the unit has made.”
It’s safe to say that his experience couldn’t have been more opposite to that of Nancy’s. “On the unit there’s less noise; it’s less cluttered with people and equipment. I’d also say it is much less stressful. It’s a friendly, relaxing space. More than anything it’s efficient – you get seen to and then you’re off pretty quickly.”
He only lives a couple of miles away from the hospital, which is where the unit is also situated, something he deems himself “fortunate” for. “I’m not somebody who’s benefitted because I live 20 miles away from the hospital. I have benefitted because I’ve had access to a much quicker alternative means of receiving treatment. I just can’t praise the service enough.”
