I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve been very fortunate to have had an exceptional medical team - a team of teams - made up of extraordinarily hard working people who time after time, over many years have come together to keep me alive and steer me on a path to recovery and to keep climbing.
The extraordinary team at Hutt Plastics - 3 life saving surgeries and closely watched recoveries (so far - and yes, I know you all keep telling me to never come back!).
The whole team at Wellington Blood & Cancer centre, who guided me from the outset. My compassionate and expert chemo oncologist Anne. My inspirational radiation oncologist Jamie, and all the caring and careful RT’s.
My exceptionally skilful and always energetic, always encouraging ENT surgeon Stuart and his registrars and team at Wellington ENT. The vascular and emergency surgery teams, and their radiology staff, who have diligently investigated all my concerns and pains, long into the midnight hours on several occasions.
The ICU nurses and teams at Hutt ICU and Wellington ICU who’ve kept watch on me, breath by breath, over many long shifts.
My longtime life-saving and brilliant GP Dr Dave P.
My speech and swallowing therapists over many hurdles: Kate, Lou, and Liv. My clinical nurse and a guardian angel, Ruth. My oral and dental surgeons Barb and Rose. My many dieticians, doctors and nurses. And the wonderful paramedics in the Wellington free ambulance who have several times calmly, swiftly whisked me off to safety and help when I’ve needed it most.
Throughout it all, the incomparable Swee, who has taught me more about persistence over the last 15 years than I could ever have imagined. Swee now inspires a remarkable group of young scientists at the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute to work with equal persistence, to find new and drastically better ways for treating cancer, for those who follow us.
These people are the real heroes of my story, up and over those many mountains!
