Working to improve the care of men with prostate cancer

I have a great passion for cancer care as a Uro-Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), which comes from my own experiences as a previous cancer patient. I had cervical cancer twice when I was a student nurse, requiring major surgery, and went on to develop a pelvic abscess several years later that caused small bowel obstruction, ureter obstruction and sepsis, requiring further surgery. As a result I have experienced multiple encounters with healthcare staff as both an inpatient and an outpatient over the years. Surgeries have left me with lymphoedema, nerve damage and infertility, as well as experience of other physical and psychosocial issues that come from a cancer diagnosis and its treatment.

It is my own experiences that have given me the drive to improve healthcare and patient care and, in particular, have given me a passion for cancer care that has led me to where I am in my career. I draw on the positive encounters I have had where I have seen true compassion, empathy and care that has gone above and beyond the level expected and feel influenced in my practice by these moments. I have also experienced negative aspects of care and strive to ensure that my patients do not experience these as I understand how distressing such poor experiences can be.