Cancer team 'allowed me to dream I had a future'

A cancer patient has praised the support she received to manage the long term side effects of her treatment, saying it had allowed her to "dream of leading a normal life".

Olwen Kramer underwent six different types of treatment in seven years, including a stem cell transplant, after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma - a type of blood cancer - 24-years ago.

The 69-year-old was eventually cured, but the numerous treatments left her with a long list of problems, including a weakened immune system and kidney disease.

She said the help she received from the Late Effects Screening Service at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had given her the "strength and positivity to live my life as fully and normally as possible".

The specialist service, which was established in 2009, helps patients deal with a range of physical and emotional effects of treatment, including nerve damage, infertility, heart problems and post-traumatic stress difficulties.

Mrs Kramer, from Bawtry, near Doncaster, said the support she had received was "life-changing" and "life-affirming".

"It allowed me to dream that I had a future, that I had a future with my family and that I was able to lead what I call my 'normal life'," she said.

Prof Diana Greenfield, a nurse consultant, who founded the service, said there was a growing population of cancer survivors - which she described as a "medical success story" - but said many would have "increased needs" because of treatment.

"The most common problems are cancer-related pain and cancer-related fatigue, and those can be really debilitating and prevent people from their normal activities," she said.

"Those are the things we need to address to support people to live normally and return to normal life."

Prof Greenfield said the service had directly helped about 3,000 patients, and had influenced the treatment of many more through its education and policy work.

The service recently won the Ingrid Fuchs Cancer Nursing Award at the Nursing Times Awards for its work in "addressing the physical, emotional, social and financial impacts" of treatment with both adult and child patients.

The judges described it as a "pioneering initiative" and a "great example of nurse-led innovation".

Mrs Kramer said the team "take it all in their stride" and "remain positive in their approach to things".

"They've given me the strength and the positivity to live my life as fully and normally as possible," she said.

"They've allowed me to see my children grow up, to see them married and have grandchildren.

"It means the world to me."

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