Hope for Tomorrow is a fantastic charity
Ian McIntosh initially put his back pain down to a bit of hard labour after he had helped a friend dig in some fence posts in rural Norfolk.
“I had been using a very heavy hammer and just assumed I had pulled a muscle and it would settle down and eventually go away,” says Ian.
“Like many people, I didn’t immediately think a bit of discomfort could be anything more serious, and I think it’s quite typical of men in particular not to acknowledge that they might need to seek expert help and guidance. I usually blame ageing for any aches and pains.”
Six months later, the back pain was getting worse, so Ian went to see his doctor, who decided to run some blood tests. Within 24 hours, he was called back to the surgery and was subsequently diagnosed with Stage 2 Myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
“Until then, my health had been remarkably good, so it was a shock to suddenly find I could barely walk, never mind drive a car,” he says.
Ian’s nearest hospital was a 50-mile round trip, which, depending on the traffic, could take an hour each way, and he was told he would initially need regular weekly treatment.
“I was in chronic pain as one of the side effects of Myeloma is that it attacks the bones and makes them weaker. I ended up with a fractured spine.”
Luckily, Ian has some amazing neighbours who rallied to help him get to his appointments at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in Norwich.
“I had to insure them to drive my car as mine has higher seating. I couldn’t get in or out of a conventional vehicle. They were brilliant at avoiding the potholes in the road, but every movement was excruciating, and it’s a long journey to do in so much pain.
“I am extremely lucky to have such good support around me, but it’s a big ask of people to give up so much of their time, not only driving there and back, but they also never knew how long they would have to wait.
“I don’t know what I would have done without them. My alternative would have been a taxi, which for that distance would have been pretty expensive.”
After his fifth treatment, Ian was told he could continue his treatment on the mobile cancer care unit based at Sainsbury’s in Attleborough, a small town around five miles from where he lives.
The first treatment I had on the ‘bus’, as many of us like to call it, really was a hallelujah moment for me.
“Unless I get stuck behind a tractor, the journey takes less than fifteen minutes door to door. And when people were driving me, they could drop me off and go off and do their shopping. It’s easy to park, there are always at least ten spaces available, and I am not burning litres of fuel. You have to be mindful of the cost as well as the time when making those long trips.
“I can be in and out fairly quickly. There’s always a bit of banter going on with the regulars. Humour is great at making people feel more comfortable.
Ian visits his local mobile cancer care unit, ‘Amara’, shown here with the driver, Jack, and some of the wonderful NHS nurses who work on board
“In simple terms, it is just a fantastic service. I have nothing but praise for it and for the treatment I have received for my cancer. The ‘bus’ is just wonderful. Many of the regulars see it as a bit of a treat, really, where they get the chance to chat to familiar faces in a different environment.
“When I saw how people could be treated away from the main hospital site. It made so much sense. It frees up the staff for patients who have to be treated in hospital and cuts down the travel time and the cost for those who can be treated nearer their homes.
“The atmosphere on the ‘bus’ is a little more relaxed, understandably because it’s small. There’s a fair amount of interaction between the patients. There are only four patients at one time with two nurses and Jack the driver, who is so much more than a driver; he is a vital component in the team. He is the one who greets everyone and hands them over to the nurses. He’s the glue and the interface between the patients and the medical team.”
Ian can now drive himself and only has to have treatment once every 28 days.
“Having my treatment so close to home has transformed my life. I don’t have to worry about making those long trips to the hospital or who might be available to take me. It means the illness doesn’t get to dominate everything,” he says.
“I met one man recently who initially hadn’t been too enthused about having his treatment on the ‘bus’, and he had obviously heard me singing its praises as I often do. By the end of his session, he told me he didn’t know why he had been so worried. Everything was exactly as he would get in hospital, but in a smaller, friendly environment.
“You can’t help but become more than nodding acquaintances with the other patients. I’ve met someone who I worked with many years ago, as well as someone who lives less than half a mile from me, whom I had never spoken to before meeting on the bus.
Now 78, Ian has been living with his cancer for two years, and he says: “I never give up hope that things will improve. I have a lot to look forward to, but I am constantly aware that not everyone is as lucky as I have been.
In 2019, he fulfilled a dream he and his late wife shared to build their own house on a piece of land they owned, and he is grateful he has had the chance to continue looking out on a beautiful meadow of wildflowers in the spring and summer.
“Hope for Tomorrow is a fantastic charity,” he says.
“It has been amazing for me, but I know there are not enough units out there to fulfil everyone’s needs. That’s why it’s so important that it gets enough support and help.
“I honestly cannot praise the service enough.”
It’s only thanks to the generosity of our supporters that our mobile cancer care units can continue to be there for cancer patients throughout the country. To help keep the wheels turning and make a difference for cancer patients like Ian, please donate today.
Hope for Tomorrow is a fantastic charity
Ian McIntosh initially put his back pain down to a bit of hard labour after he had helped a friend dig in some fence posts in rural Norfolk.
“I had been using a very heavy hammer and just assumed I had pulled a muscle and it would settle down and eventually go away,” says Ian.
“Like many people, I didn’t immediately think a bit of discomfort could be anything more serious, and I think it’s quite typical of men in particular not to acknowledge that they might need to seek expert help and guidance. I usually blame ageing for any aches and pains.”
Six months later, the back pain was getting worse, so Ian went to see his doctor, who decided to run some blood tests. Within 24 hours, he was called back to the surgery and was subsequently diagnosed with Stage 2 Myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
“Until then, my health had been remarkably good, so it was a shock to suddenly find I could barely walk, never mind drive a car,” he says.
Ian’s nearest hospital was a 50-mile round trip, which, depending on the traffic, could take an hour each way, and he was told he would initially need regular weekly treatment.
“I was in chronic pain as one of the side effects of Myeloma is that it attacks the bones and makes them weaker. I ended up with a fractured spine.”
Luckily, Ian has some amazing neighbours who rallied to help him get to his appointments at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in Norwich.
“I had to insure them to drive my car as mine has higher seating. I couldn’t get in or out of a conventional vehicle. They were brilliant at avoiding the potholes in the road, but every movement was excruciating, and it’s a long journey to do in so much pain.
“I am extremely lucky to have such good support around me, but it’s a big ask of people to give up so much of their time, not only driving there and back, but they also never knew how long they would have to wait.
“I don’t know what I would have done without them. My alternative would have been a taxi, which for that distance would have been pretty expensive.”
After his fifth treatment, Ian was told he could continue his treatment on the mobile cancer care unit based at Sainsbury’s in Attleborough, a small town around five miles from where he lives.
The first treatment I had on the ‘bus’, as many of us like to call it, really was a hallelujah moment for me.
“Unless I get stuck behind a tractor, the journey takes less than fifteen minutes door to door. And when people were driving me, they could drop me off and go off and do their shopping. It’s easy to park, there are always at least ten spaces available, and I am not burning litres of fuel. You have to be mindful of the cost as well as the time when making those long trips.
“I can be in and out fairly quickly. There’s always a bit of banter going on with the regulars. Humour is great at making people feel more comfortable.
Ian visits his local mobile cancer care unit, ‘Amara’, shown here with the driver, Jack, and some of the wonderful NHS nurses who work on board
“In simple terms, it is just a fantastic service. I have nothing but praise for it and for the treatment I have received for my cancer. The ‘bus’ is just wonderful. Many of the regulars see it as a bit of a treat, really, where they get the chance to chat to familiar faces in a different environment.
“When I saw how people could be treated away from the main hospital site. It made so much sense. It frees up the staff for patients who have to be treated in hospital and cuts down the travel time and the cost for those who can be treated nearer their homes.
“The atmosphere on the ‘bus’ is a little more relaxed, understandably because it’s small. There’s a fair amount of interaction between the patients. There are only four patients at one time with two nurses and Jack the driver, who is so much more than a driver; he is a vital component in the team. He is the one who greets everyone and hands them over to the nurses. He’s the glue and the interface between the patients and the medical team.”
Ian can now drive himself and only has to have treatment once every 28 days.
“Having my treatment so close to home has transformed my life. I don’t have to worry about making those long trips to the hospital or who might be available to take me. It means the illness doesn’t get to dominate everything,” he says.
“I met one man recently who initially hadn’t been too enthused about having his treatment on the ‘bus’, and he had obviously heard me singing its praises as I often do. By the end of his session, he told me he didn’t know why he had been so worried. Everything was exactly as he would get in hospital, but in a smaller, friendly environment.
“You can’t help but become more than nodding acquaintances with the other patients. I’ve met someone who I worked with many years ago, as well as someone who lives less than half a mile from me, whom I had never spoken to before meeting on the bus.
Now 78, Ian has been living with his cancer for two years, and he says: “I never give up hope that things will improve. I have a lot to look forward to, but I am constantly aware that not everyone is as lucky as I have been.
In 2019, he fulfilled a dream he and his late wife shared to build their own house on a piece of land they owned, and he is grateful he has had the chance to continue looking out on a beautiful meadow of wildflowers in the spring and summer.
“Hope for Tomorrow is a fantastic charity,” he says.
“It has been amazing for me, but I know there are not enough units out there to fulfil everyone’s needs. That’s why it’s so important that it gets enough support and help.
“I honestly cannot praise the service enough.”
It’s only thanks to the generosity of our supporters that our mobile cancer care units can continue to be there for cancer patients throughout the country. To help keep the wheels turning and make a difference for cancer patients like Ian, please donate today.
