If we survive them the benefit is that
we gain strengths that serve us well.
I am not entirely sure that having
Bowel Cancer 18 years ago rates as my greatest anxiety ever but it’s certainly
true that it seemed that way at the time to my lovely Family and Friends.
My GP, a Man I have huge respect for,
asked me recently if I would do a presentation of my experience to Junior
Doctors as part of their Training.
It was the least I could do for Him
but it proved to be a huge Privilege.
I didn’t exactly expect Ten Doctors to
be in the room, a mix of young Men and Women but it struck me Immediately that
they had chosen a Career that would bring a huge range of emotions in their
futures.
I knew that having seen some awful
things as a Police Officer that what the Heart saw the Brain would continue to
playback.
I told them that mental toughness
would be needed and that days would come when they wondered why they ever chose
the Career of a Doctor!
Where would any of us be without them
of course.
My story would not be typical because
people are different and deal with challenges differently.
I got my bad news from a lovely
Consultant at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.
He was having difficulty spilling the
News and used terms like Carcinoma and Carcinogen.
My life was the Chemical Industry so I
really knew before I asked him just to be straight with me.
He said he was cautious because grown
men often collapsed at such news.
Inwardly I smiled since for all my
flaws it never entered my head that the biggest challenge was mine.
I took that news that surgery must be
Immediate with Stoicism.
It took me five minutes to get to my
Car and another five to get home where my lovely Wife was waiting anxiously.
I dreamed up ways of finding words that
would be reassuring.
I opened the front door and saw my
wife at the end of the Hallway at the kitchen door.
Not a word was spoken before she burst
into tears.
We hugged for what seemed Eternity and
then we did the British thing, we put the kettle on.
My Daughter was pregnant with her
second child and I swore her husband to silence about the Emergency surgery.
What began was to prove many things to
me that are as clear today as they were back then.
The day after I arrived home to spend
recovery time in bed my Daughter visited unexpectedly.
She noticed get well cards and asked
who was Ill. Getting the truth finally, I heard heavy feet coming upstairs like
a Roman Army.
Now I’ve seen a bit of Finger Wagging
in my time but this was a Masterclass!
Trust me when I tell you NEVER to hide
Important subjects from close Family.
I never let Cancer disrupt my life and
checks were constant.
What is true is that those around you
feel vulnerable and it’s this that is most worrying.
The only time it eases is when time
passes and medical staff deem all looks good.
In time everyone relaxes whilst
remaining Vigilant.
I found out a lot about myself and
those around me and have felt blessed ever since.
It was Interesting telling Doctors
that a Patient gets a lot of confidence from them caring.
It will take experience and time of
course for young Doctors to find out if they have the best approach.
I was hugely privileged to be asked.
They asked where I got so much
confidence from.
The Truth is that it’s an outward show
to reduce the anxieties of others, a lesson I Impressed on the Doctors too that
they needed to learn.
After such a Challenge it’s hard to
feel fazed by much of the trivia of Life.
After all, its Life that makes so much
possible and I certainly feel I did not waste the time since.
