"They were friendly, supportive, informative and always available"

I was diagnosed with mouth cancer in January 2023 . The day after,  I received a positive result to a mammogram which I had requested , so a double whammy. 

I had an operation to remove half of my tongue and a reconstruction. They also removed all the lymph glands in the right side of my neck. Once that had healed enough I was sent for 30 sessions of radiotherapy at Ninewells hospital in Dundee.

The team in that department were excellent! They were friendly, supportive, informative and always available on the phone to answer any query or calm any worry. They were on first name terms with almost all of the patients and certainly made the journey a lot more bearable. It was obvious how much they were thought of by the amount of cards and tokens of appreciation left by grateful patients.

After completing this course I could then be treated for the breast cancer. This involved a lumpectomy and sentinel lymph gland removal. Again after a period of healing I was referred back to the radiotherapy department for further treatment. I was welcomed back like an old friend  and offered sympathy and support by Bob, Jackie and the whole team, so many I cannot name them all here. They certainly help lift the mood of anyone unfortunate enough to have to visit them and dispel some of the fears involved with the treatment. 

It has been a very eventful year for me and my family and although I have time for a little more improvement  I will be forever grateful  to the maxillofacial department, the breast cancer department  and the radiotherapy department who helped me through some difficult times. 

Don't be afraid, you will not go through this alone. There is a huge group of people there to hold your hand and support you. Thank you to each and every one of them !