Diary of a Survivor

Cancer charities focuss on raising money, often without thinking what we need. Cancer has left me fairly disabled, so I need to work from home. This website semes to have a mind of its own, so thought I would expand it. For the last two months I have been asking for...

Bullying is rife – now it’s the Cabinet Office making hospital administrators cancel an important meeting to try and sort out the mess that faces patients needing hospital transport. Yesterday I was phoned to say a meeting planned for this week had been put off until...

A Nursing Times investigation reports “thousands of nurses accept payments and benefits from the UK pharmaceutical industry each year, sparking warnings that they should “keep their eyes wide open” in dealings with drugs companies”. I often wondered why I was given...

Had an email re Save the NHS March, complaining that BBC had dropped coverage before marchers reached end. Yes, with my journalist hat on, it was because Editors would have discovered the March didn’t say anything. It was a massive protest without a coherent message....

There must be enough disabled people around for big companies to think about our needs. I have stopped shopping at John Lewis and Apple – why? Because they are too arrogant to think what we might need. Peter Jones (part of John Lewis) has removed all the chairs it...

In the 50s when I was treated for Polio, the NHS really was the envy of the world. Every Friday my surgeon would arrive with his Ward Round, always accompanied by at least four foreign doctors sent to Stanmore by their hospitals, and paying good money to the NHS for...

Opened a forum (for women principally) and usual moans re NHS treatment – but no suggestions for what could be done to improve matters. Just moans. Had a chat with my Dutch Physio (married to an Englishman, so we have benefit of her expertise) and she is constantly...

What lovely news that dark chocolate – in moderation – is good for us. Just posted info that came from ASCO (American Society for Clinical Oncology that says so – and you can’t get much better than that

Arrogant NHS medic really got up my nose. Friends saying their Cancer Nurse Specialist (CNS) is wonderful make me think there is something wrong with me – or do others have same problem when trying to get information and help? Yesterday was rung by a CNS; I had tried...