"Thank you for my breast cancer care"

In July 2012 after finding a lump in my breast and being ‘fast tracked’ to a referral at Stafford Hospital I can honestly say that I have received fast, efficient and supportive care from all the medical and nursing staff I have dealt with.

Each person who has been ‘involved’ has done their best to reassure me and try to make it easier and enable me to deal with the impact of having cancer. Both my Surgeon and Oncologist have patiently answered questions, helped eliminate doubts and made sure I had as much information as humanly possible.

The Breast Care team have done their best to give support, help me cope and feel as comfortable as one can with the situation; whilst the nursing staff on the ward when I had both my operations were so kind and reassuring. They made me feel an individual and not a statistic; this was the same for the staff during a brief period of hospitalisation during my chemotherapy treatment. The kindness and patience of these people is phenomenal and I have never once felt forgotten or ignored.

Furthermore, Stafford Hospital is one of only a few establishments that offer some patients chemotherapy at home. For this I am truly grateful as it has made this particular part of my treatment far less stressful. Visits to hospital for people having chemotherapy are to be avoided because of the increased risk to infection; consequently having chemotherapy at home the risk is greatly reduced and you are more relaxed in your own surroundings. Plus you are on a one to one basis with your chemotherapy nurse, making it easier to monitor reaction to the chemo drugs as they are administered, for any problems and to develop a rapport.

At no point since my diagnosis have I felt my treatment from and by Stafford Hospital has been anything other than excellent. I have been kept informed of each step of the process (operations and subsequent treatments) and been given a whole ream of contact numbers for any possible emergency.

I would like to give my wholehearted thanks and appreciation to the nursing and medical staff at Stafford Hospital for the care and support I have received during this stressful time