It’s like walking into a little oasis that takes all the sting out of everything bad.
That’s how Sally Shillington describes her visits to the mobile cancer care unit in Louth in Lincolnshire.
Sally likes to refer to the unit as ‘the bus’ and jokes that she feels like a very happy captive in a really comfortable environment when she is there.
“I am not very good at sitting still but when I am on the bus, I find it so easy to sit back and relax. Usually, I settle in with a book as my treatment takes around an hour and a half and I get so lost in myself, it tends to fly by quite quickly,” says Sally.
“Once or twice, I have even nodded off and fallen asleep during the treatment. I feel so safe and relaxed when I am on there.”
After her diagnosis of lung cancer at the beginning of 2023 Sally started attending Lincoln County Hospital, a round trip of 50 miles.
Unfortunately, her husband is also ill with cancer, so he was not really up to driving her back and forth to her appointments.
“Sometimes the roads would be blocked and when you are on a deadline it adds so much stress to an already stressful situation.
“It was also a big ask having to rely on family and friends to take me because it’s not just the journey time but all the hanging around and waiting as well,” says Sally.
“The staff at the hospital are truly amazing people but they are terribly overstretched. One day when I was having my treatment I asked if it would be possible to transfer to the bus.
“Another member of my family had their treatment on the bus in Louth and they said how good it had been, so I was keen to try it.
“The staff at the hospital said that as I was responding so well to my treatment without too many side effects I was allowed to swap to the bus.
And it has just been so fantastic. I cannot praise it highly enough. It’s parked at Louth County Hospital, a few minutes from where I live so I can walk if I want to when the weather is nice.
Although she was a former smoker, Sally gave up the habit 16 years ago and has generally lived a healthy life.
“I eat well, and I exercise with lots of gardening and walking with our lurcher, Killian,” she says.
Her diagnosis was a shock at the age of 72.
“I became suspicious after having Covid with a persistent cough. After tests and x-rays and biopsies I was treated with chemotherapy and radiation at the Lincoln Hospital where the care was excellent,” says Sally who now has immunotherapy every two weeks on the mobile unit.
“The bus [unit] is obviously so much more convenient regarding the travel involved, but more than that, it is such a lovely, gentle environment.
“You get to recognise faces as time goes by and the staff are lovely. You can’t help but feel close to them.
“You just know they are there for you and you can talk about anything. The patients change and you get to recognise who wants to chat and who wants to be quiet.
“And it doesn’t really matter which course you end up taking. Sometimes no-one talks at all but there is just a presence of goodness and peace there. It’s very calming.
“People attend with all different cancers and the staff are there for everything. The driver also plays a vital role in the overall experience on the bus [unit]. It’s very comforting and nothing seems to be too much trouble.
Born in Malaya, Sally has had a variety of jobs throughout her working life including being a housekeeper and cook. Usually work that involves helping people.
Now that it’s her turn to be helped she is acutely aware of the time and care that goes into making her treatment bearable.
“I see all the fundraising that goes on to make these buses [units] available to people like me and I would really love to do something one day to help too,” she says.
“Everything about them is just wonderful and I feel blessed to have the chance to go there for my treatment.”
It’s like walking into a little oasis that takes all the sting out of everything bad.
That’s how Sally Shillington describes her visits to the mobile cancer care unit in Louth in Lincolnshire.
Sally likes to refer to the unit as ‘the bus’ and jokes that she feels like a very happy captive in a really comfortable environment when she is there.
“I am not very good at sitting still but when I am on the bus, I find it so easy to sit back and relax. Usually, I settle in with a book as my treatment takes around an hour and a half and I get so lost in myself, it tends to fly by quite quickly,” says Sally.
“Once or twice, I have even nodded off and fallen asleep during the treatment. I feel so safe and relaxed when I am on there.”
After her diagnosis of lung cancer at the beginning of 2023 Sally started attending Lincoln County Hospital, a round trip of 50 miles.
Unfortunately, her husband is also ill with cancer, so he was not really up to driving her back and forth to her appointments.
“Sometimes the roads would be blocked and when you are on a deadline it adds so much stress to an already stressful situation.
“It was also a big ask having to rely on family and friends to take me because it’s not just the journey time but all the hanging around and waiting as well,” says Sally.
“The staff at the hospital are truly amazing people but they are terribly overstretched. One day when I was having my treatment I asked if it would be possible to transfer to the bus.
“Another member of my family had their treatment on the bus in Louth and they said how good it had been, so I was keen to try it.
“The staff at the hospital said that as I was responding so well to my treatment without too many side effects I was allowed to swap to the bus.
And it has just been so fantastic. I cannot praise it highly enough. It’s parked at Louth County Hospital, a few minutes from where I live so I can walk if I want to when the weather is nice.
Although she was a former smoker, Sally gave up the habit 16 years ago and has generally lived a healthy life.
“I eat well, and I exercise with lots of gardening and walking with our lurcher, Killian,” she says.
Her diagnosis was a shock at the age of 72.
“I became suspicious after having Covid with a persistent cough. After tests and x-rays and biopsies I was treated with chemotherapy and radiation at the Lincoln Hospital where the care was excellent,” says Sally who now has immunotherapy every two weeks on the mobile unit.
“The bus [unit] is obviously so much more convenient regarding the travel involved, but more than that, it is such a lovely, gentle environment.
“You get to recognise faces as time goes by and the staff are lovely. You can’t help but feel close to them.
“You just know they are there for you and you can talk about anything. The patients change and you get to recognise who wants to chat and who wants to be quiet.
“And it doesn’t really matter which course you end up taking. Sometimes no-one talks at all but there is just a presence of goodness and peace there. It’s very calming.
“People attend with all different cancers and the staff are there for everything. The driver also plays a vital role in the overall experience on the bus [unit]. It’s very comforting and nothing seems to be too much trouble.
Born in Malaya, Sally has had a variety of jobs throughout her working life including being a housekeeper and cook. Usually work that involves helping people.
Now that it’s her turn to be helped she is acutely aware of the time and care that goes into making her treatment bearable.
“I see all the fundraising that goes on to make these buses [units] available to people like me and I would really love to do something one day to help too,” she says.
“Everything about them is just wonderful and I feel blessed to have the chance to go there for my treatment.”
