Wardlines newsletter - Autumn 2012 - University College London ...
Wardlines newsletter - Autumn 2012 - University College London ... Wardlines newsletter - Autumn 2012 - University College London ...
Red Cell Group The Red Cell group is a pro-active group which meets to improve the ‘Red Cell Experience’ within in haematology Unit at UCH. The group has a long history and since 1989 has been instrumental in supporting the red cell patients through the huge expansion of Day Care in the Rosenheim Building and now in the new Cancer Centre. Services for red cell patients have continued to improve, in which the group is proud to have played a constant role. Red Cell patients are those with Thalassaemia, Sickle Cell Disease and hereditary Haemochromatosis. The Red Cell Group meets every three to four months. For information about meetings please contact 020 3447 7372. The Cotton Rooms by Clare Evans, Ambulatory Care Sister The new patient hotel named The Cotton Rooms is now open for business and has already been proved to be a success from recent feedback by patients who have resided there. The hotel has been built to a 4* specification and is owned by UCLH Charity, it is available for use by all patients that require hotel accommodation, such as those receiving treatment in Ambulatory Care. Patients in Ambulatory Care are currently the prime users of the hotel and have expressed their views which have been very positive. Already the hotel has made a great impact on the service as it has been designed with patients in mind and because we have a good working relationship with their staff, allowing patients views to be shared. The hotel manager and staff have been incredibly open to such views and have already taken many on board, altering the service where possible to better the experience. One example being they bought hooks that specially fit to the shower rail so patients can hang their chemotherapy backpacks to them, rather than having to place them on the floor as they did when using the preceding hotels. Having a hotel close to the Cancer Centre also has its benefits as it allows patients to pop back in between their treatments throughout the day, rather than wait around which is often unnecessary and boring for them! It has a dining room, a lounge area and a laundry room in addition to their individual bedrooms. Also installed are panic alarms which alert the hotel reception, this provides reassurance to patients should they feel suddenly unwell and don’t have someone staying with them. They know how to use this system and the reception staff can call Ambulatory care for advice or an ambulance where necessary, meaning that assistance is never far away. UCLH Charity said “We took lots of advice from the clinical staff - people like Paula Statham - so that we could build in as many useful features as possible to help patients. But it’s great to hear that our hotel staff are still listening to patients to make things even better.” The hotel has proven to be a great success and can only benefit the overall experience for our patients here at UCLH. In-patient Physiotherapy in haematology By Stuart Spear, Physiotherapist As physiotherapists working on the haematology wards at UCLH, our role is to ensure that our patients have access to appropriate levels of rehabilitation and support during their in-patient stay. Patients can often become debilitated and deconditioned, not only due to their illness but also the side effects of treatment that they are receiving. This not only has an effect on their physical condition but also their psychological wellbeing, both of which exercise is proven to benefit. Physiotherapy takes a holistic approach in enabling patients to maintain or regain strength, movement, endurance and functional independence. We aim to provide simple tailored exercise programmes to appropriate patients during their stay. These programmes may include exercises such as: mini squats, heel raises and balance exercises and the use of mini cycles, steps, ankle weights and dumbbells enable us to provide a much more varied and motivating programme. Many of our patients find stairs a challenge after their inpatient admission, so the provision of a small gym step in their rooms can be used to imitate this activity. We are aware that patients often go through a tough time here in hospital and appreciate that rest is an important element of the recovery pathway. Fatigue is one of the more prominent issues patients report and can be a huge barrier to daily function. Trying to get a balance between rest and progressive activity is essential in the management of fatigue. This is why empowering patients by letting them direct their own management is central to our treatment approach and because of this we hope that patients feel more in control of their recovery. Working in this specialist area is both challenging and immensely rewarding, and our aim is to provide the best possible quality of care to our patients. Thanks to those who have donated funds to expand our physiotherapy equipment. Stuart Spear, Carlton Thomas, Jenny Appleby, Katherine Elliot Holloway Road Waitrose We are one of the three charities of the month in October in the Holloway Road branch of Waitrose. Shoppers are given green chips to slot in one of three charity boxes. Waitrose donates £1000 per month to charities, which is split according to the amount of chips in each box. Anyone visiting this branch, slot a green chip into our fund please? 4 • Autumn 2012 • Wardlines
2013 Jordan Trek In April 2013 my partner Mark and I will be taking part in the Britain v Cancer Jordan Trek, raising funds for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Unit. The trek takes us from the Dead Sea, through low lying deserts and the Black Mountains to the rose coloured city of Petra. On the way we will trek along Bedouin donkey trails, between steep canyon walls and through barren and rugged landscapes. This will be a major challenge for both of us - we have both taken part in sponsored walks and runs in the past - but neither of us has experienced trekking on this scale. Over the course of the last year my Uncle, Alan, has attended the Unit for numerous consultant appointments, scans and tests. He has received treatment both as an inpatient and outpatient including prolonged chemotherapy during which time he has grown to know many of the staff. The support and care they offered him and the family made the experience much easier and we have no doubt it played and continues to play a big part in his ongoing recovery. There is no disguising the unpleasant effects of some cancer treatment but it is important to look forward to better times. For Alan, being encouraged to carry on being an active person and to get out and about from his hospital room as his treatment progressed was so important. It helped him maintain his independence and control over the cancer and the treatment. Alan was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and received an autologous stem cell transplant. Visiting hospital is so much more than receiving clinical treatment, particularly when cancer is involved, along with all the worries and disruptions to everyday life that it brings. The whole patient experience is vital and we are delighted to use our trek as a Fundraising focus for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit fund. This helps to provide important extras that make such a difference. During the year leading up to our trek we will be training hard and doing as much as we can to raise funds and gain sponsorship through local events. We will be paying all our own expenses for the trek and we will ensure that every penny we raise goes to the Unit. Anyone wishing to find out more about our trek or wanting to make a donation can find us at: www.justgiving.com/gabyandmarktrekjordan Happy Anniversary to Julian This year our patron Julian Rhind-Tutt will be celebrating 20 years since his bone marrow transplant at UCH on Friday 13th November 1992. His ongoing commitment to the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit fund greatly impacts on our fundraising events, with his official duties including starting the annual London Bridgathon (see picture), and attending the patients Christmas party, this year on 14 December. Julian is an actor of stage and screen, appearing in many roles from serious drama to comedy, including, in 2012 The Hour on BBC2 and A Touch of Cloth on Sky. He’ll also be appearing in the BBC production of The Lady Vanishes this Christmas and the new Ron Howard film, Rush, the story of the Formula 1 rivalry between 70’s driving legends James Hunt and Nikki Lauda. Julian has just become father to month old son, Lucian. Alpe d’Huez, cycle challenge Part 2 Dr Andres Virchis, Consultant Haematologist As some as you may know from Wardlines last Autumn, as a long-standing cycling enthusiast, I achieved a dream of cycling up Mont Ventoux in Provence and in doing so I raised over £1200 for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit and a similar amount for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. This summer I completed Part 2. On the 8th July I joined over 300 hundred other cyclists to tackle Le Grimpée de l’Alpe. This is a time trial (you cycle up a quickly as possible and are given a completion time) up Alpe d’Huez, a 14km climb to approximately 1900m at an average gradient of over 8%. It is famous as a result of featuring regularly in the Tour de France, with its 21 hair pin turns to the summit. It was tougher than last year, despite being a shorter climb, due to the hair pins and hitting a gradient of 11%, for the first 3-4km, leaving me ‘begging for more gears’ from the start. Eventually I got into my rhythm and completed the climb in 1hr 32m 45s, despite a puncture with 300m to go (I cycled on refusing to walk over the line). To put this into perspective the record is 38m, the average professional will cycle it in under an hour and a good amateur club cyclist in about 1hr 15m. Most importantly I decided to once again raise money for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit, albeit at the last minute, and raised over £800, enough for 2 oxygen monitors for the new Macmillan Cancer Centre. My JustGiving page is still open for anybody wishing to donate at http://www.justgiving.com/Andres-AlpedHuez Wardlines • Autumn 2012 • 5
- Page 1 and 2: Wardlines Newsletter Autumn 2012 Th
- Page 3: Complementary Therapy By Elaine Cha
- Page 7 and 8: My Marathon Experience by Wayne Val
2013 Jordan Trek<br />
In April 2013 my partner Mark<br />
and I will be taking part in the<br />
Britain v Cancer Jordan Trek, raising<br />
funds for the Leukaemia and<br />
Lymphoma Unit. The trek takes us<br />
from the Dead Sea, through low<br />
lying deserts and the Black<br />
Mountains to the rose coloured city<br />
of Petra. On the way we will trek<br />
along Bedouin donkey trails,<br />
between steep canyon walls and<br />
through barren and rugged<br />
landscapes. This will be a major<br />
challenge for both of us - we have<br />
both taken part in sponsored walks and runs in the past - but<br />
neither of us has experienced trekking on this scale.<br />
Over the course of the last year my Uncle, Alan, has attended the<br />
Unit for numerous consultant appointments, scans and tests. He<br />
has received treatment both as an inpatient and outpatient<br />
including prolonged chemotherapy during which time he has<br />
grown to know many of the staff. The support and care they offered<br />
him and the family made the experience much easier and we have<br />
no doubt it played and continues to play a big part in his ongoing<br />
recovery.<br />
There is no disguising the unpleasant effects of some cancer<br />
treatment but it is important to look forward to better times. For<br />
Alan, being encouraged to carry on being an active person and to<br />
get out and about from his hospital room as his treatment<br />
progressed was so important. It helped him maintain his<br />
independence and control over the cancer and the treatment.<br />
Alan was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and received<br />
an autologous stem cell transplant.<br />
Visiting hospital is so much more than receiving clinical treatment,<br />
particularly when cancer is involved, along with all the worries and<br />
disruptions to everyday life that it brings. The whole patient<br />
experience is vital and we are delighted to use our trek as a<br />
Fundraising focus for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit fund. This<br />
helps to provide important extras that make such a difference.<br />
During the year leading up to our trek we will be training hard and<br />
doing as much as we can to raise funds and gain sponsorship<br />
through local events. We will be paying all our own expenses for<br />
the trek and we will ensure that every penny we raise goes to the<br />
Unit. Anyone wishing to find out more about our trek or wanting<br />
to make a donation can find us at:<br />
www.justgiving.com/gabyandmarktrekjordan<br />
Happy Anniversary to Julian<br />
This year our patron Julian Rhind-Tutt will be<br />
celebrating 20 years since his bone marrow<br />
transplant at UCH on Friday 13th November<br />
1992. His ongoing commitment to the<br />
Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit fund greatly<br />
impacts on our fundraising events, with his<br />
official duties including starting the annual<br />
<strong>London</strong> Bridgathon (see picture), and<br />
attending the patients Christmas party,<br />
this year on 14 December.<br />
Julian is an actor of stage and screen, appearing in many roles from<br />
serious drama to comedy, including, in <strong>2012</strong> The Hour on BBC2<br />
and A Touch of Cloth on Sky. He’ll also be appearing in the BBC<br />
production of The Lady Vanishes this Christmas and the new Ron<br />
Howard film, Rush, the story of the Formula 1 rivalry between 70’s<br />
driving legends James Hunt and Nikki Lauda.<br />
Julian has just become father to month old son, Lucian.<br />
Alpe d’Huez, cycle challenge Part 2<br />
Dr Andres Virchis, Consultant Haematologist<br />
As some as you may know from <strong>Wardlines</strong> last <strong>Autumn</strong>, as a long-standing cycling<br />
enthusiast, I achieved a dream of cycling up Mont Ventoux in Provence and in doing<br />
so I raised over £1200 for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit and a similar amount for<br />
Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. This summer I completed Part 2.<br />
On the 8th July I joined over 300 hundred other cyclists to tackle Le Grimpée de l’Alpe.<br />
This is a time trial (you cycle up a quickly as possible and are given a completion time)<br />
up Alpe d’Huez, a 14km climb to approximately 1900m at an average gradient of over<br />
8%. It is famous as a result of featuring regularly in the Tour de France, with its 21 hair<br />
pin turns to the summit.<br />
It was tougher than last year, despite being a shorter climb, due to the hair pins and<br />
hitting a gradient of 11%, for the first 3-4km, leaving me ‘begging for more gears’ from<br />
the start. Eventually I got into my rhythm and completed the climb in 1hr 32m 45s,<br />
despite a puncture with 300m to go (I cycled on refusing to walk over the line). To put<br />
this into perspective the record is 38m, the average professional will cycle it in under<br />
an hour and a good amateur club cyclist in about 1hr 15m.<br />
Most importantly I decided to once again raise money for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Unit, albeit at the last minute, and raised over<br />
£800, enough for 2 oxygen monitors for the new Macmillan Cancer Centre. My JustGiving page is still open for anybody wishing to<br />
donate at http://www.justgiving.com/Andres-AlpedHuez<br />
<strong>Wardlines</strong> • <strong>Autumn</strong> <strong>2012</strong> • 5
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