Peter’s Hospital Diary

I have mentioned LeukaemiaCare in several posts in the blog, so I thought it about time I wrote a little bit about it…

I have said on numerous occasions how much I have appreciated the support everyone has given me during my ‘cancer journey’ but I am aware that many people are not so fortunate in having that support, and it was during my first transplant that I first heard about the LeukaemiaCare charity.

The Charity’s mission is “Supporting a Quality of Life” for the patients and carers of those with Leukaemia, Lymphoma and allied blood disorders.

Established over 35 years ago, the charity’s main function in support of the mission was (and still is) to provide a 24×7 helpline for people to ring with concerns or just a friendly voice to talk to. This was (and still is) unique among cancer charities. I have been trained and work as one of many volunteers that man the helpline, usually at night or at weekends.

While the Careline is the key service of the charity, there are many other activities it undertakes to ‘support a quality of life’. These include home and hospital visits by volunteeers, the provision of ow cost holidays, and more recently patient advocacy in highlighting new treatments for blood cancers. It has been particularly successful in raising the profile of Glivic – a treatment for Chronic Myloid Leukaemia.

Another important development has been establishing a training course in listening skills and helping people dealing with loss. Originally developed for ‘in-house’ training of new volunteers, the concept has generated much interest from some NHS hospitals and other health care professionals in the private sector (such as care homes). I have been involved in helping to put the training course together that can be delivered to those ‘customers’. At the moment the course is going through accreditation so that it can lead to an NVQ qualification, and I and my fellow volunteers in the scheme are looking forward to delivering the course once it is accredited.

Other services include a magazine – Focus – which is sent to all those registered with the charity, and a series of booklets covering various aspects of blood cancers. I have posted the last two (proof editions) of Focus here as pdf files for download.

That is only a brief introduction to LeukaemiaCare – there is more on the (soon to be updated!) web site, together with details of how to join, donate or fundraise for the charity.