The bus [mobile unit] has been a game-changer for me with no waiting time at all.
“I used to dread the long waits at the hospital”, explained Emma Brown, “it’s not unusual to wait a couple of hours for treatment, but with the Hope for Tomorrow mobile unit, I’m straight in and out again. It’s local too, so that’s made such a huge difference to me”.
Living in South London, working as an editor and proofreader, Emma was just 32 years old when she discovered a lump in her breast in 2006. She was quickly diagnosed with breast cancer and fast-tracked to hospital. Fortunately, the cancer was caught at an early stage and the treatment, which included surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was very successful.
“I was well for quite a long time”, said Emma, “but then I had two relapses – one in 2013 and then again in 2014. Both times my treatments followed a familiar pattern; surgery to remove the lumps, then radiotherapy, (just once) and chemotherapy on both occasions. After that I was stable for quite a few years”.
Emma continued: “2017, was the year when everything changed. My partner and I decided to move to Kent, initially to Ashford and then Folkestone, as we wanted to be near the sea”.
Life was going well it seemed: “Of course there was always the fear it was going to come back. At my regular three-monthly scan, I was blissfully unaware of what was happening inside me – I had no visible lumps at all. But then my consultant called and said ‘I’ve got bad news for you, the cancer has spread to your lungs’. I hadn’t had any symptoms at all, it came as a complete shock to now have stage 4 cancer”
Following further surgery and treatment, Emma had to travel to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, 10 miles away, for regular hormone injections to keep the cancer under control. “I hated the long waiting times at the hospital. I had spotted the Hope for Tomorrow bus (named ‘Caron’) in the Tesco car park near to where I live and asked if I could move to that, but initially they wanted to monitor my response to the treatment at the hospital. Then in February 2023 they asked me if I would still like to transfer to the bus, and I said ‘Yes please, I would!’”.
“I have two hormone injections a month on the bus [unit], as well as a bone-strengthening injection every other month.
The bus [unit] has been a game-changer for me with no waiting time at all. I know one of the nurses on board from the hospital, so it is lovely to have that continuity. All the staff on the bus [unit] are incredibly friendly.
Although I am in and out very quickly on my visits, I see that other patients with longer treatments are having a cup of tea and a chat. It’s nice.
“After the stage 4 diagnosis, I wanted to get out and do all the things that I’d always wanted to do in life but put off. But I was too ill. We did manage a trip on the Trans-Siberian railway from Moscow through to Beijing in 2017, but now my main activity is swimming. The surgery has caused me to suffer from lymphoedema in my right arm, so although I used to love walking, I now can’t walk far as it’s too painful”.
Despite her considerable setbacks it’s heartening to hear that Emma has a very positive outlook for the future and that the Hope for Tomorrow mobile cancer care unit plays a key role in her optimism. Emma explained “The Hope for Tomorrow bus [unit] has been incredibly helpful for me. It’s such a valuable resource. I am stable now, and I’m so grateful to be able to continue my treatment journey on the bus [unit]”.
The bus [mobile unit] has been a game-changer for me with no waiting time at all.
“I used to dread the long waits at the hospital”, explained Emma Brown, “it’s not unusual to wait a couple of hours for treatment, but with the Hope for Tomorrow mobile unit, I’m straight in and out again. It’s local too, so that’s made such a huge difference to me”.
Living in South London, working as an editor and proofreader, Emma was just 32 years old when she discovered a lump in her breast in 2006. She was quickly diagnosed with breast cancer and fast-tracked to hospital. Fortunately, the cancer was caught at an early stage and the treatment, which included surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was very successful.
“I was well for quite a long time”, said Emma, “but then I had two relapses – one in 2013 and then again in 2014. Both times my treatments followed a familiar pattern; surgery to remove the lumps, then radiotherapy, (just once) and chemotherapy on both occasions. After that I was stable for quite a few years”.
Emma continued: “2017, was the year when everything changed. My partner and I decided to move to Kent, initially to Ashford and then Folkestone, as we wanted to be near the sea”.
Life was going well it seemed: “Of course there was always the fear it was going to come back. At my regular three-monthly scan, I was blissfully unaware of what was happening inside me – I had no visible lumps at all. But then my consultant called and said ‘I’ve got bad news for you, the cancer has spread to your lungs’. I hadn’t had any symptoms at all, it came as a complete shock to now have stage 4 cancer”
Following further surgery and treatment, Emma had to travel to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, 10 miles away, for regular hormone injections to keep the cancer under control. “I hated the long waiting times at the hospital. I had spotted the Hope for Tomorrow bus (named ‘Caron’) in the Tesco car park near to where I live and asked if I could move to that, but initially they wanted to monitor my response to the treatment at the hospital. Then in February 2023 they asked me if I would still like to transfer to the bus, and I said ‘Yes please, I would!’”.
“I have two hormone injections a month on the bus [unit], as well as a bone-strengthening injection every other month.
The bus [unit] has been a game-changer for me with no waiting time at all. I know one of the nurses on board from the hospital, so it is lovely to have that continuity. All the staff on the bus [unit] are incredibly friendly.
Although I am in and out very quickly on my visits, I see that other patients with longer treatments are having a cup of tea and a chat. It’s nice.
“After the stage 4 diagnosis, I wanted to get out and do all the things that I’d always wanted to do in life but put off. But I was too ill. We did manage a trip on the Trans-Siberian railway from Moscow through to Beijing in 2017, but now my main activity is swimming. The surgery has caused me to suffer from lymphoedema in my right arm, so although I used to love walking, I now can’t walk far as it’s too painful”.
Despite her considerable setbacks it’s heartening to hear that Emma has a very positive outlook for the future and that the Hope for Tomorrow mobile cancer care unit plays a key role in her optimism. Emma explained “The Hope for Tomorrow bus [unit] has been incredibly helpful for me. It’s such a valuable resource. I am stable now, and I’m so grateful to be able to continue my treatment journey on the bus [unit]”.
