NOVEMBER 2007

Cancer Patients Comments

Some comments made by Cancer Patients who took part in a Donegal Action for Cancer Care questionnaire in 2005. Visit site www.dacc.ie

A man being treated for laryngeal carcinoma stated that he could not avail of all treatments because: "I was too ill after the first 3 weeks of treatment". A man with lung cancer, after being operated on in Dublin, refused radiation treatment because he states: "It's too long a journey for someone so ill. I was sent home straight away after surgery, I had to travel by car - no ambulance offered. It (radiation) was offered but refused.

One woman states: "I was only able to avail of one treatment of radiation due to sickness". Two women 'opted' for mastectomies instead of lumpectomy with radiotherapy. One woman states: "As a lone parent it was impossible for me to avail of radiotherapy, which would have meant leaving my children for five days at a time, travelling to Dublin. Because of this I opted for a mastectomy, having no choice.

The second woman states: "The surgeon offered choice of lumpectomy or mastectomy. If I had opted for lumpectomy, I would have had to go to Dublin for radiation treatment, so I opted for mastectomy. "I have two disabled sons and could not afford to be away from home. Another son died six months before this".

One woman who attended Letterkenny for chemotherapy identifies financial and transportation worries. She states: "I am a lone parent who had to give up my part-time job which left me out of pocket every time I go to hospital for tests and appointments. Also getting childcare for all these visits requires a lot of organising travel as I have no car. Bus is okay into treatment, but not to go home, when you don't feel so well. "I need money to travel, eat, pay for childcare and I have to rely on the kindness of friends."

The Government should hang their collective thick heads in shame.

Back