Happy Nurses’ Day

Thanks to all the Nurses that have cared for me over the last three years, the collective rock that are the Colo-Rectal Nurses, my paid friends the District Nurses and the amazing guys and girls at the Rosemere Unit, who put up with my tardiness and constant demand for selfies. You’re the hardest working, most dedicated and smiley people I’ve ever met. I feel honoured to call many of you friends.You are wonderful and I wouldn’t have run even one marathon without your care.

These are just some of the nurses who’ve cared for me. I’ve been fortunate to have been looked after by three main nursing teams (there have been more, like the staff at the Ribblesdale Ward at Royal Preston and all the nurses who put up with me for a month at Royal Blackburn) since my diagnosis. The Colo-Rectal Nurses based at Royal Preston Hospital, Oncology Nurses at the Rosemere Chemo Unit and my local District Nursing team.

When I was first diagnosed the Colo-rectal nurses helped Louise and I cope with all the changes. There were only 6 days between finding out I had bowel cancer and my first operation. We had a lot to deal with in those days and Kim, Kate and the rest of the team helped get me through it. Then when I started running they were the first people I turned to for advice about my stoma.

I’ve been receiving treatment at Rosemere Unit for almost three years I’ve had more than 50 fortnightly doses of chemo, so I’ve spent many hours receiving treatment administered by the nursing team. I’ve known many of the nurses for a while now. They are the glue that holds the Rosemere Unit together.

Thanks to the nurses treatment days don’t feel like visits to hospital. It’s like checking in with friends. It isn’t a depressing place, it’s full of hope and real courage where the brilliant staff give us the tools we need to fight cancer tooth and nail.

A positive attitude is crucial to coping with chemotherapy. There are times when I’ve felt low and the nurses have perked me up. I’ve been grateful for their warmth and kindness. Simple things like a smiley disposition and a few reassuring words make all the difference.

The district nurses are the other team that care for me. They visit me and many others at home and tend our wounds, change our dressings, take blood and loads more. They’re amazing. At the beginning of my cancer adventure when I was new at this cancer lark they kept me going. Not merely in terms of the care they gave, but they also kept me company while I was at home recovering from surgery.

Of course it’s their job to visit, but the kindness they extended and the comfort they gave me was way beyond that which you’d expect from someone ‘just doing their job’.