One of the things I like best about my job is how much variety there is in my work and the range of people I get to work with. I am a Macmillan Cancer Support Occupational Therapist which means the focus of my work is supporting people following a cancer diagnosis to be able to do everyday tasks that you or I might take for granted, such as dressing and washing themselves, or a valued leisure activity they might be finding difficult, for example one patient was writing their memoir but struggling with typing due to weakness in their hands and visual problems. Other patients might struggle with reading, knitting, baking or many other tasks. Often this will involve working on specific aspects of the task that are difficult - for example, someone with a brain tumour might struggle to concentrate for long enough to make themselves a meal, or struggle to do their hair because of weakness in their arm. I will help them to find a way to do the task again – so I might build up their strength through a series of exercises, so they can comb their hair again or find a different or easier way for them to do so.
While we are busy the whole year round, the run-up to Christmas time tends to get even busier; everyone would like to get home and so we do our best to make sure everything is in place to support people to get off the wards and home safely, even if it’s just for a few hours. For those who are well enough to consider leaving the ward it can make an enormous difference psychologically to be able to put hospital and their treatment to one side and focus on their family or friends and celebrate as they would normally. People with children especially can appreciate being able to get away from the ward so that they can make memories without the hospital being such a prominent part of things and often this bolsters people in the period after Christmas. For those who aren’t able to leave the hospital, the ward teams make a huge effort to make things festive, so the patients can enjoy the day as much as possible; everyone pulls together from the catering team to the doctors, to all the support staff. There are always decorations and most wards will give small gifts to the patients on the day. When I work at Christmas, while I miss my family, it’s one of the best days of the year to work because as difficult as Christmas can be for people in hospital, it’s also somewhere where the best of humanity is evident.
Time with patients is always my favourite part of the day, especially when we get someone ready to go home and back to their life. As with any job there are always meetings and other non-clinical tasks to do but seeing someone progress towards their goals or just getting a bit better is heartening. Last Christmas I was seeing a patient who was very talented musically; one of my favourite things was when a singing group they were part of surprised the patient on the ward with a concert. It was such a wonderful thing to do for their friend, and the patient clearly got a huge amount from being able to join in with something that wasn’t about their cancer and being in hospital. It was a great reminder about what really matters in life and testament to the power of friendship, and a story which will definitely that will stay with me.
In my role I work a regular Monday to Friday, 9-5 week, although because I am working to help people to increase their independence in caring for themselves there are usually plenty of tasks for people to carry on over the weekend. I usually get up around 6.45am and can’t go anywhere before I’ve had a cup of tea! I keep my routine brief at home before cycling to work in central London. I’ll ride whatever the weather; my favourite part is crossing over the river at Blackfriars so I can take in the view of St. Paul’s and the South Bank.
Generally, I start my day in the office, checking patient notes and getting a plan together for the day. I work as part of a small team, so we try to plan our week on a Monday and make sure everything is covered. After that it’s all about seeing the patients. Our team carry a caseload of 5 patients with neurological impairments because of their cancer or cancer treatment. This might be anything from a spinal cord injury due to a tumour compressing the cord, to a brain tumour, or an auto-immune condition triggered by chemotherapy. Each person will need different support and have their own priorities to work on in therapy sessions, so we set goals with them to make sure we are focusing on what is important to them. For many people this takes on a practical aspect, so they can work towards getting home, but the most rewarding session I’ve ever had was helping a young man get ready for his wedding. It was such an honour to able to be part of such a momentous occasion, and a real privilege to be able to support someone with something so important to them. I was definitely quite emotional that day, which is not
unusual in this setting. In the approach to the wedding we worked with this man so that he could stand to say his vows, as well as contributing to the logistics of how he would get to the venue for the ceremony, and you could see how much it helped to have something so exciting to plan for amidst treatment planning and therapy. On the day it was important to me to make sure that he was helped to get ready in a way that he didn’t feel time pressured, and he could look his best in the outfit he had picked out. His friends were there to help too and really made the day special and personal to the couple. I was really touched to be invited to join the celebrations after the ceremony which were in a lovely room at Barts; seeing them enjoying a glass of champagne, surrounded by their friends and family who had pulled together to make the day special was truly humbling. Although the circumstances were doubtless not what they would have envisioned, I don’t think I’ve seen another wedding that has left such an impression on me, and it was truly about this pair as a team. They have just celebrated their first anniversary and the team here certainly took time to reminisce about that special day. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that and not many people get the chance to be part of such an incredible life event in their work.
Afternoons can be similar to mornings, although I tend to catch up on notes or non-clinical tasks after lunch and make a plan for the next day. I leave work around 5pm and my evening cycle is a good way for me to process the day and get some space to do it all again the next day!
If I don’t have plans to meet friends, I’ll usually potter about in the evenings or catch up with a book or TV show. Week nights I tend to turn in between 10 and 11 pm so I can be at my best for the next day. In a job that can be emotionally taxing I need to make things as easy for myself as possible in every other way, so I try to look after the basics well.
My role has been made possible by funding from M&S who partner with Macmillan Cancer Support, but Macmillan relies almost entirely on the generosity of the public to fund many other roles like mine. Without this funding there are many patients who wouldn’t have been able to achieve what they have with therapy or to have found ways to enjoy their lives despite having cancer. It has made me appreciate my own health and to recognise what is important in life, especially at this time of year. You can help Macmillan be there to support those living with cancer by donating to the annual Christmas appeal. Even though I’ll be with my own family on the 25th, I’ll be thinking of all the patients I have worked with throughout the year and hoping they are able to enjoy the day.
You can donate to the Macmillan Christmas appeal at macmillan.org.uk/christmasappeal2018. We rely almost entirely on public donations and we can’t continue to be there for people with cancer without your support.
Macmillan has a broad range of cancer support services available - including a community of over 7,700 healthcare professionals, a support line and a 24/7 online community. If you’d like support or information this Christmas, call us free on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk.
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