"Fantastic treatment!"

I am writing to you directly to express my profound gratitude to Dr. Zaki and all his team in the Dermatology Department at Solihull Hospital.

Last week Dr. Zaki performed a major operation to eradicate extensive basal cell carcinoma on my nose and cheek, supported by a wonderfully professional team of nurses and pathologists. I know that MOHs treatment is a highly specialised but very effective procedure to treat my kind of cancer and it was very reassuring to know that I was in very safe hands. Dr. Zaki and all the clinicians who looked after me so professionally and sympathetically exemplified the highest standards of medical care and I would like to record my deepest thanks for everyone who was, quite literally, at my side in every way.

In particular I would like to say a special thank you to the following nurses who are clearly special people:

Usha and Liz (Late Staff) and Julie and Patrick (Afternoon Staff)

I am also very grateful to the pathologist and lab technician who are also an integral part of the dermatology department.

What can I say about Dr. Zaki himself? Quite simply, the ‘bestest’! ! ! In a world where ridiculous hyperbole seems perfectly ‘normal’ let me reassure the ‘world’ that it is truly humbling to be cared for by such a fantastic consultant surgeon who is so self-effacing and so modest about all that he achieves.

I think it is especially appropriate to record that my wife and I left the hospital at about 9. 00 p. m. after Dr. Zaki had performed the skin grafting!  He had been ‘on duty’ since about 8. 00 a. m.! I know that this is by no means untypical of his everyday workload. I also felt very conscious of the impact that this frenetic workload has on the family life of people like Usha, Liz, Julie and Patrick.

Obviously, I still have to be a model patient with the healing process but it is great to feel that the future is open again! 

Thank you sooo much everyone!