"Bladder cancer specialist"

I received treatment from a world leading surgeon and I am very grateful for their expertise. What really surprised me, delighted me but more importantly energised me is how wonderfully human they were!

I'm an otherwise fit 48 year old male, who out of the blue was diagnosed with aggressive stage 3 bladder cancer! Wow…not great!

When I was 25 I had a testicular cancer and again received top treatment in a physical and clinical sense. However I don't think some doctors appreciate how confusing being seriously ill is? One minute you are flying at work and at home and the next cancer! You could die.

The difference in humanity must be applauded.

My surgeon was forcing me to ask the questions I needed to ask.

It may have made their life more tricky and inconvenient because obviously the advice they'd already given me was the right course of action otherwise they wouldn't have proposed the course of action! However they weren't thinking of their own ego. Even though it is job to them, they made me feel they were in my camp in my life or death struggle. Their empathy and emotional intelligence so helped my psychology and I think medics are appreciating this now. How many times have you left a doctor's appointment thinking "oh darn it! I didn't ask this vital question to put my mind at ease.

To the doctor it may be a weird or quirky mind but it is the only mind that will either help or hinder the recovery of the patient! I appreciate that to me my cancer problem was a 100% all encompassing problem but the medic may see 40 patients a week and be dealing with more.

But due to the skill of my medic they made me feel they were looking after me 24/7.

Do you know what that makes them world class within a world class operation and its called the Royal Marsden, a truly world class and world leading hospital.

Eamonn Dolan - bladder cancer patient