It couldn’t be any more convenient.
Keen cyclist and walker Martin Ashby put his aches and pains, along with a noticeable reduction in energy levels, down to just getting older.
He had always enjoyed a decent level of fitness, so two years ago, at the age of 58, when a private well-man check-up showed up some unusual blood results, he wasn’t prepared for the diagnosis that followed.
His GP arranged some follow up blood tests and it was discovered that Martin had developed Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells.
He was referred to the Airedale Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire, for weekly treatment and a stem cell transplant.
“At that time, visits to the hospital became my life really. They just dominated everything for a while when I was first diagnosed,” says Martin who lives in Ilkley, around 11 miles from the hospital.
“It’s not a huge distance but I would have to allow a good 30 minutes each time for traffic and parking.
“In those early days, a hospital appointment, on average, could take half a day to a full day. There was never any way of knowing.
“Even if the treatment only took up a small portion of the time, the whole process of waiting around for a chair and for blood results and then for the drugs to be made up, really added to the time.
“I would never make any plans around the appointment as it was impossible to know how long I would be at the hospital.
“I had to write off the whole day really. My wife used to drive me when I wasn’t well enough and that was difficult because I didn’t know whether to tell her to go home and wait for me to call her when I was finished or ask her to hang around at the hospital.
“You just have no idea how much time to allow. Often, it’s not just a big chunk out of the patient’s time but also the lives of those who are helping with the transport too.”
After the stem cell treatment Martin was at a stage where he could use the mobile cancer care unit parked in the car park of Booths, a local supermarket chain in the North of England.
It’s literally two minutes by car away from my house. I can pop down there and pick up my drugs as well at the same time.
“It couldn’t be any more convenient.”
Martin now only has to attend the unit once a month for an infusion of zoledronic acid.
“Being able to pop down to the bus [unit], knowing I will be in and out fairly quickly makes the thought of going to an appointment much more comfortable,” he says.
“The hospital has been fantastic, there is no criticism there, absolutely none. It’s just the volume of people going through the doors that causes delays.
“I see the bus [unit] as a great support to the cancer unit at the hospital. Once a patient reaches a point where they can have their treatment closer to home it can only be a good thing to help free up places for people who need to attend the hospital and don’t have any other choice.
“Because of the size of the mobile unit there aren’t that many people there at any one time so the staff are able to run on a tight schedule which just makes the whole process that much quicker.
“Also, the reassuring thing for me, which is important, is that anyone going through cancer treatment will have a low immunity, so being exposed to lots of people is always a cause for anxiety.
“The bus means the number of people you tend to come in contact with is greatly reduced.
“When I used to attend the hospital for treatment, I was always thinking about it beforehand, anticipating that there was going to be some waiting involved – it’s that unknown amount of time to allow that was always difficult.
“But I don’t get that sense of foreboding now that my appointments are on the bus. I get to the door, and they are usually ready for me.
“The whole thing has become less of an issue in my mind. It might sound odd to say but it’s now a really comfortable experience for me.
“Part of that is obviously the time saved on travel and parking, but it’s also really reassuring to see a lot of the same faces at my appointments.
“I have got to know the driver and the nurses and it’s that sense of familiarity that tends to create a feeling of ease.
“No-one wants to go through cancer obviously, so anything that makes it more bearable is welcome, and I feel the bus goes a long way in doing that.
“It is an excellent service, outstanding really. I feel very lucky to have it on my doorstep.”
It couldn’t be any more convenient.
Keen cyclist and walker Martin Ashby put his aches and pains, along with a noticeable reduction in energy levels, down to just getting older.
He had always enjoyed a decent level of fitness, so two years ago, at the age of 58, when a private well-man check-up showed up some unusual blood results, he wasn’t prepared for the diagnosis that followed.
His GP arranged some follow up blood tests and it was discovered that Martin had developed Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells.
He was referred to the Airedale Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire, for weekly treatment and a stem cell transplant.
“At that time, visits to the hospital became my life really. They just dominated everything for a while when I was first diagnosed,” says Martin who lives in Ilkley, around 11 miles from the hospital.
“It’s not a huge distance but I would have to allow a good 30 minutes each time for traffic and parking.
“In those early days, a hospital appointment, on average, could take half a day to a full day. There was never any way of knowing.
“Even if the treatment only took up a small portion of the time, the whole process of waiting around for a chair and for blood results and then for the drugs to be made up, really added to the time.
“I would never make any plans around the appointment as it was impossible to know how long I would be at the hospital.
“I had to write off the whole day really. My wife used to drive me when I wasn’t well enough and that was difficult because I didn’t know whether to tell her to go home and wait for me to call her when I was finished or ask her to hang around at the hospital.
“You just have no idea how much time to allow. Often, it’s not just a big chunk out of the patient’s time but also the lives of those who are helping with the transport too.”
After the stem cell treatment Martin was at a stage where he could use the mobile cancer care unit parked in the car park of Booths, a local supermarket chain in the North of England.
It’s literally two minutes by car away from my house. I can pop down there and pick up my drugs as well at the same time.
“It couldn’t be any more convenient.”
Martin now only has to attend the unit once a month for an infusion of zoledronic acid.
“Being able to pop down to the bus [unit], knowing I will be in and out fairly quickly makes the thought of going to an appointment much more comfortable,” he says.
“The hospital has been fantastic, there is no criticism there, absolutely none. It’s just the volume of people going through the doors that causes delays.
“I see the bus [unit] as a great support to the cancer unit at the hospital. Once a patient reaches a point where they can have their treatment closer to home it can only be a good thing to help free up places for people who need to attend the hospital and don’t have any other choice.
“Because of the size of the mobile unit there aren’t that many people there at any one time so the staff are able to run on a tight schedule which just makes the whole process that much quicker.
“Also, the reassuring thing for me, which is important, is that anyone going through cancer treatment will have a low immunity, so being exposed to lots of people is always a cause for anxiety.
“The bus means the number of people you tend to come in contact with is greatly reduced.
“When I used to attend the hospital for treatment, I was always thinking about it beforehand, anticipating that there was going to be some waiting involved – it’s that unknown amount of time to allow that was always difficult.
“But I don’t get that sense of foreboding now that my appointments are on the bus. I get to the door, and they are usually ready for me.
“The whole thing has become less of an issue in my mind. It might sound odd to say but it’s now a really comfortable experience for me.
“Part of that is obviously the time saved on travel and parking, but it’s also really reassuring to see a lot of the same faces at my appointments.
“I have got to know the driver and the nurses and it’s that sense of familiarity that tends to create a feeling of ease.
“No-one wants to go through cancer obviously, so anything that makes it more bearable is welcome, and I feel the bus goes a long way in doing that.
“It is an excellent service, outstanding really. I feel very lucky to have it on my doorstep.”
