Things are not so intense on the unit. It is such a friendly atmosphere.
For Diane Morley, her appointments at the local mobile cancer care unit in Herne Bay are often preceded by a very important detour.
She likes to stop off to do a cake run at the local bakery to bring with her a few little sweet treats for the hard-working staff.
“They always tell me I shouldn’t, but I think they deserve it, and who doesn’t like cake?” she says.
“Besides, it’s my way of saying thanks for the amazing work they all do.”
Diane was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 when she was 70.
Her initial treatment took place at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury, a car trip that Diane says used to take around 30 minutes each way on a good day.
“But it often took much longer than that if there was heavy traffic, and then I had to allow time to find a parking space,” she says.
When she was given the opportunity to move some of her treatments, such as cleaning her PICC line, to the Herne Bay unit, just a ten-minute drive from her home, she jumped at it.
To be able to drastically cut the travelling time all that way there and back to the hospital was transformative.
It really did make a big difference to my energy levels and to my whole outlook when I knew there was an appointment coming up.”
Diane had her chemotherapy at the Cathedral Day Unit at Canterbury Hospital.
She then had a hysterectomy at Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital, followed by more chemotherapy back at the Cathedral unit at Canterbury.
Then, in 2022, there was good news when she was told the cancer had gone into remission.
Diane felt well enough to book a holiday and was hopeful that the worst was behind her.
However, on her return, Diane received the blow that a recent blood test showed that although the chemotherapy had kept the cancer from spreading it was still in her lymph nodes.
Sadly, she has been told the chemotherapy is no longer having any effect on the cancer, so she has been put on a maintenance programme supported by drugs.
“I was originally told I would have to pick up the drugs from the Cathedral unit at Canterbury, which was very inconvenient really,” she says.
But now, she picks up the drugs every month from the mobile unit parked at the Queen Victoria Hospital not far from where she lives in Herne Bay.
“It’s much easier; I can pick them up and then do my shopping afterwards,” says Diane.
“I also go there for my blood tests, which I have to have prior to picking up the drugs. It is so easy to park, and I am usually seen straight away, sometimes earlier than my appointment if they are ahead of schedule.
“I know it sounds like a strange thing to say, but I really look forward to going there. Being able to chat to other patients who are also going through treatment puts me at ease.
“Things are not so intense on the unit. It is such a friendly atmosphere.
“I feel I can talk to them about anything really. They say you can tell them whatever is on your mind, and even when you know they are busy they always take the time to listen. They make you feel like a person and not a number.
I do have good and bad days. It can be hard living with the prognosis sometimes, and it gets very frustrating, but I know the unit is there for me, and I never feel like a burden or a nuisance offloading my feelings.
Diane also suffers from a rare condition Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS), which is a legacy from a cruise she took around 12 years ago.
It creates a rocking or swaying sensation in the body after disembarkation from a boat, train, or plane, and in some cases, it ‘locks in’ and persists for many years afterwards.
Other symptoms are confusion, anxiety, depression, and brain fog.
“When I told the staff on the unit about this, they were genuinely interested in knowing more about it and asked me lots of questions.
“None of them had never heard of it, so they looked it up before my next visit as they said they needed to understand how it was affecting me.
“I was really touched that they had gone to those lengths to find out more for me. That’s a real personal touch.”
Diane says: “When people are going through cancer, I think one of the most important things is being able to talk freely about how it is affecting you and how you are feeling, especially if you are feeling a bit low on occasions.
“It’s so important that there is someone on hand to listen to you and to understand what you are going through. I feel I get that on the unit as it is very much run on a one-to-one basis.
“The familiar faces are very comforting. It’s somewhere I know I will feel at ease, and I know the support is always there for me.
“I have a number to call if I am feeling worried about anything, or I can email, and someone will always get back to me.
“When I tell other people about the unit, they always say how lucky I am to have a service like that I can use.
“I have a friend who has also been diagnosed with cancer, and I have encouraged her to see if she can get treatment on the mobile unit because, honestly, I cannot recommend it enough. I don’t know how I would cope without it.
“Everyone without exception on the unit, from the nurses to the assistants and the driver, all do a wonderful job.
“For me the unit not only offers practical support, but just knowing it is there gives me peace of mind.”
Things are not so intense on the unit. It is such a friendly atmosphere.
For Diane Morley, her appointments at the local mobile cancer care unit in Herne Bay are often preceded by a very important detour.
She likes to stop off to do a cake run at the local bakery to bring with her a few little sweet treats for the hard-working staff.
“They always tell me I shouldn’t, but I think they deserve it, and who doesn’t like cake?” she says.
“Besides, it’s my way of saying thanks for the amazing work they all do.”
Diane was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 when she was 70.
Her initial treatment took place at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury, a car trip that Diane says used to take around 30 minutes each way on a good day.
“But it often took much longer than that if there was heavy traffic, and then I had to allow time to find a parking space,” she says.
When she was given the opportunity to move some of her treatments, such as cleaning her PICC line, to the Herne Bay unit, just a ten-minute drive from her home, she jumped at it.
To be able to drastically cut the travelling time all that way there and back to the hospital was transformative.
It really did make a big difference to my energy levels and to my whole outlook when I knew there was an appointment coming up.”
Diane had her chemotherapy at the Cathedral Day Unit at Canterbury Hospital.
She then had a hysterectomy at Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital, followed by more chemotherapy back at the Cathedral unit at Canterbury.
Then, in 2022, there was good news when she was told the cancer had gone into remission.
Diane felt well enough to book a holiday and was hopeful that the worst was behind her.
However, on her return, Diane received the blow that a recent blood test showed that although the chemotherapy had kept the cancer from spreading it was still in her lymph nodes.
Sadly, she has been told the chemotherapy is no longer having any effect on the cancer, so she has been put on a maintenance programme supported by drugs.
“I was originally told I would have to pick up the drugs from the Cathedral unit at Canterbury, which was very inconvenient really,” she says.
But now, she picks up the drugs every month from the mobile unit parked at the Queen Victoria Hospital not far from where she lives in Herne Bay.
“It’s much easier; I can pick them up and then do my shopping afterwards,” says Diane.
“I also go there for my blood tests, which I have to have prior to picking up the drugs. It is so easy to park, and I am usually seen straight away, sometimes earlier than my appointment if they are ahead of schedule.
“I know it sounds like a strange thing to say, but I really look forward to going there. Being able to chat to other patients who are also going through treatment puts me at ease.
“Things are not so intense on the unit. It is such a friendly atmosphere.
“I feel I can talk to them about anything really. They say you can tell them whatever is on your mind, and even when you know they are busy they always take the time to listen. They make you feel like a person and not a number.
I do have good and bad days. It can be hard living with the prognosis sometimes, and it gets very frustrating, but I know the unit is there for me, and I never feel like a burden or a nuisance offloading my feelings.
Diane also suffers from a rare condition Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS), which is a legacy from a cruise she took around 12 years ago.
It creates a rocking or swaying sensation in the body after disembarkation from a boat, train, or plane, and in some cases, it ‘locks in’ and persists for many years afterwards.
Other symptoms are confusion, anxiety, depression, and brain fog.
“When I told the staff on the unit about this, they were genuinely interested in knowing more about it and asked me lots of questions.
“None of them had never heard of it, so they looked it up before my next visit as they said they needed to understand how it was affecting me.
“I was really touched that they had gone to those lengths to find out more for me. That’s a real personal touch.”
Diane says: “When people are going through cancer, I think one of the most important things is being able to talk freely about how it is affecting you and how you are feeling, especially if you are feeling a bit low on occasions.
“It’s so important that there is someone on hand to listen to you and to understand what you are going through. I feel I get that on the unit as it is very much run on a one-to-one basis.
“The familiar faces are very comforting. It’s somewhere I know I will feel at ease, and I know the support is always there for me.
“I have a number to call if I am feeling worried about anything, or I can email, and someone will always get back to me.
“When I tell other people about the unit, they always say how lucky I am to have a service like that I can use.
“I have a friend who has also been diagnosed with cancer, and I have encouraged her to see if she can get treatment on the mobile unit because, honestly, I cannot recommend it enough. I don’t know how I would cope without it.
“Everyone without exception on the unit, from the nurses to the assistants and the driver, all do a wonderful job.
“For me the unit not only offers practical support, but just knowing it is there gives me peace of mind.”
