Christmas Star Appeal: Helen’s transport service story

The festive season is fast approaching, which means our Christmas Star Appeal is in full swing!

Our Star Appeal supporters make a huge difference to our fantastic hospital and the talented individuals who work there. Christmas donations help to fund everything from vital cancer research to treatment enhancements across Weston Park Cancer Centre.

Your support also helps to keep our free transport service up-and-running. Every year, this service gives thousands of patients a reliable, stress-free way to get to and from their appointments.

Here, we speak to 76-year-old Helen, who used the transport service for six weeks while she was being treated for cancer of the womb.

My name is Helen, and I’m a 76-year-old lady who lives in Matlock with my husband, David. I have two children and four grandchildren, who all live fairly close by.

My journey with cancer started in July this year. I had been experiencing some irregular bleeding and had to have a number of polyps removed at the Women’s Health Unit at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. After the procedure, I was diagnosed with cancer of the womb and referred to Weston Park Cancer Centre.

The team at Weston Park told me that I needed 30 sessions of radiotherapy, which would be delivered over the course of six weeks.

For my first appointment, we drove from Matlock to the hospital. We weren’t able to find a parking space and my husband had to sit and wait for a spot to become available while I went in on my own.

I was directed to the Weston Park Cancer Charity Hub, where I was greeted by some extremely kind members of staff. They told me about the charity’s transport service, which I could access free of charge. I can’t express how much stress this took away for both me and my very supportive husband.

For the rest of my treatment, we used the transport pick up point at Chesterfield FC’s SMH Group Stadium. The minibus leaves twice a day from the stadium, and there are also other routes for people who live in Barnsley and Rotherham. We found it so easy to use the service, and there was plenty of free parking at the stadium which was brilliant.

The minibuses are very comfortable and are driven by volunteer drivers, for whom nothing is too much trouble. They go out of their way to cater for less mobile patients and make sure everyone is looked after.

The transport service made my six weeks of appointments much easier to cope with. I met fellow radiotherapy patients who I got to know very well. I had to travel alone on several occasions, but I didn’t feel worried as the drivers and other patients were very good company.

The transport service is organised by Kane and other charity staff who work at the Hub. They handle this difficult job with utmost efficiency, and they are even able to alter appointments to coincide with transport times if necessary. The staff at the Hub are always very welcoming and attentive, and there are also wonderful volunteers who are on hand to offer refreshments.

I’d like to say a big thank you to the Transport Hub team. I will be eternally grateful that I was introduced to the charity’s transport service. They took a lot of stress away from my experience and made everything much more comfortable for me. I donated to Weston Park Cancer Charity at the time and will be donating again on a regularly basis.

The charity’s transport service is invaluable. I would recommend that everyone consider donating to Weston Park Cancer Charity, so that we can safeguard this amazing asset for years to come.

To help fund vital research, treatment enhancements and cancer support services, make a donation to our Christmas Star Appeal today.