Staff & patients in their own words

Donna Howlett - Administrator
“A lot of people with a diagnosis of cancer feel alone and isolated. The services we offer help them to fight that, to see that they’re not on their own.“

And what the patients say: “I believe that the services provided for cancer patients and carers by the centre is very valuable. The sessions are professionally run and cater for the needs of users.“

And what the patients say: “I am extremely grateful to have received those reflexology treatments and certainly hope other long-term carers like myself will be offered the same chance. Thank you so much.“

Ingrid Emsden-Fox – Complementary therapist

“Complementary therapies work in a different way to other treatments and can enhance the quality of life and wellbeing of patients and their carers. It’s also about educating their relaxation response which can help in their daily lives. It’s giving them a tool.“

And what the patients say: “I think this is a wonderful service and I’m glad I took advantage of it. I have no doubt that it speeded up my recovery and helped me to be positive. I have spread the word to the other cancer patients. Thank you to DCC.“

Anna Wooder – Cancer Information Officer

“Patients with a cancer diagnosis often find it hard to speak to family and friends about their condition. In my role I provide a listening ear and a source of information to help people through a very difficult time. My background is nursing, but working in support and information is a terrific way of making a difference in people’s lives.“

And what the patients say: “I do believe that many more patients could use the Dimbleby Cancer Centre services and wish I had done so sooner. It has accelerated my recovery, improved the quality of my life and this should reduce the cost of my care.“

Margaret Evison – Trustee and member of the Dimbleby Cancer Care Research Fund Advisory Board, and Former Psycho-oncology support coordinator

“Cancer is a disease which affects one so totally, one’s sense of self and one’s place in the world. Patients feel battered by the disease personally, and the presentations can be very complicated, where people are expected to put up with things that seem beyond what a person can be expected to endure. At a personal level, I like the idea of being able to help people who are caught in unbearably difficult situations – both patients and their carers – and I like the feeling that they feel they’ve got someone they can talk to who understands their issues and problems.“

And what the patients say: “Makes you feel like a person again, makes you realise you can feel nice again.“

Janet Seller – Counsellor

“One of the reasons I applied to work here was the reputation of the charity and the hospitals, and the quality of the psycho-oncology support.. Because you have a whole team of psychologists and counsellors, that means that patients’ and their carers’ needs can be responded to quickly, and for me there’s a privilege about working in a team that can offer that.“

And what the patients say: “I really appreciated the possibility of having these therapies. It made me feel supported in a whole network of care. I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to you all.“

Alex King – Psychologist

“My role is to work with the DCC team to advise and support the clinical teams in delivering good, psychologically minded health care.

It’s not easy seeing a psychologist in a hospital. It’s difficult to have a discussion about emotional states when you’re being treated medically. I really value the work that my colleagues do on the wards – the nursing staff, the medical staff, the complementary therapists and the allied health professionals – to have that ‘in-between conversation’ where the patient’s distress is acknowledged and put in a care framework.

It really feels good working here because we have the capacity to respond to need and to give a good quality of service as opposed to having to make some hard decisions about how to allocate time.“

And what the patients say: “My sincere thanks to all the therapists and counsellors at the unit. Please continue the excellent service and work that you are so good at doing.“

Jean Meadows – Counsellor

“One of the most rewarding things I do is to run support groups here. I facilitate the brain group, the T-cell group and the head and neck group. For instance, people with head and neck cancer are often disfigured or have eating and swallowing disorders, or have difficulty speaking. That group is the only place in their life where they are together with people who have similar problems. They don’t feel self-conscious. They don’t feel judged in any way. They’re amongst people who understand.“

And what the patients say: “I think the Dimbleby Cancer Care Centre is wonderful. It goes alongside the whole ethos of St Thomas’ which I have found to be a caring and nurturing one. Thank you very much.“

Nathalie Asmall – Psychotherapist

“Cancer can function as a bit of a turning point in how people view what they really want in their life – what’s not happening, what would be worth living for. I have seen people make amazing changes, reinvent themselves and get well again, which is very inspiring. It’s a whole reassessment of how honestly you’ve been living your life. People often come initially because they think ‘This is awful. How am I going to cope?’ They are anxious about treatment and whether the cancer is going to come back after treatment. But once you start to get in touch with the potential for change that a crisis always brings – as scary as cancer is – it can have an exciting element as well.“

And what the patients say: “The therapies are essential in helping patients such as myself feel less stressful and in improving their positive outlook for the future. I personally believe I have benefited from them greatly“