A Patient’s Experience
It was 11 years ago that I was diagnosed with my cancer and as you can all
imagine it was a very scary few months before my operation. After the operation
we were told about the Go Group and were invited along to an outing. As it
happens it was the AGM, so on the day we turned up a bit apprehensive as not
knowing what it was all about but we need not have worried as we were made
very welcome. From that day we have endeavoured to go to as many outings as
possible. It was good to talk to other people who had been through the same and
similar operations and how their recovery was compared to mine, also having our
wonderful nurses and support staff to chat to.
On the whole the group has been very positive for Bev and myself, I was lucky
enough to be invited to be chair of the group a few years ago which I accepted. I
hope I can pass on my experiences to other new members and am always at the
end of a phone if required. The committee team work hard at trying to organise
outings in a variety of different places and venues.
Please don’t be afraid to come and ask questions, we’ve all been in the situation
where you wished you had asked but didn’t. Hopefully we will see you all at the
Christmas party for a good knees up and quiz take care – Terry.
Carer’s Experience
Well, it was quite a shock when Terry was diagnosed with cancer. Once we’d had a
bit of time to get our heads around it, we started looking for somewhere to find
help and support. The GO Group was recommended to us, so we went along to our
first meeting — and I have to say, it was such a relief to talk to other people about
their experiences and get support from them.
Over the years, we’ve had so much help from the GO Group, our lovely nurse
specialists, and the support team. No question ever goes unanswered, and there are
always ideas being shared about different ways to cope with the challenges we
face. It’s also been such a comfort talking to other carers and hearing how they’ve
managed life after the op.
Honestly, I think I would have struggled with some parts of this journey without the
reassurance and support from the group. I’d definitely encourage anyone to join —
the help it provides is incredible.
Thanks for reading my waffle! See you all on a trip out soon
— Bev
The Go Group 