Inspirational Stories

No longer feeling like something the cat had dragged in

Courageous and surprisingly positive, Scott Looney is a man in his forties who is facing the battle of cancer with the help of North Shore Hospice. Married with two young children, Scott worked in property development before becoming unwell.

'I first found that I had cancer in 2004,' said Scott. 'I had a pain in my side and went to my doctor who put me through a whole pile of tests. They thought it might have been a kidney stone, but after all the tests I discovered I had a massive tumour in my bowel.'

Scott had surgery in October that year, and then went through a gruelling 40 weeks of chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately he had a recurrence a year later and had to undergo further surgery, and in 2006 had to undergo surgery again. He has recently started another round of chemotherapy, but now he is on the Hospice 'books' they are helping keep his symptoms under control.

'I was referred to Hospice by my surgeon, and just thought if there is anything they could do that would help, then I would be keen to get their help. I wasn't feeling very well at all. I walked in to Hospice feeling like something the cat had dragged in, and I came out feeling tons better. They were able to help me straight away. They put in a syringe driver and gave me pain relief.'

As well as help with the physical symptoms, Scott appreciates the emotional support they also provide.

'It makes a big difference being table to talk to the people at Hospice with their depth of experience and wealth of knowledge. I said to the nurse the other day that I was feeling really bad after the chemotherapy, but she was able to explain to me what was happening in layman's terms, and that made it a lot easier.'

The Hospice has also been able to provide support for the family. Through the hospice's Family Support Service, Scott and his wife have been able to talk through all the different issues that they are currently going through, including how to talk to their children about his illness.

'We only told our children recently. It came as a bit of a shock to our nine year old, but we are now able to talk about everything very openly. They are aware that I'm sick. It is really helpful to be able to talk to experienced people at Hospice about what is happening with our children and how best to cope with this situation. The Hospice has had really good input into what is happening with our family.'

Scott spent a week in the Hospice In Patient Unit recently when he was very ill and run down, and he thought the care was first rate.

'It was good to go in and get 24 hour care. It is so peaceful and quiet, and the care is just fantastic from the nurses and the doctors. They were upfront and told me what they thought was going on, what they were going to do and what they weren't going to do. They weren't pushy however; they were just very open, like they were a buddy to you. It was very comforting and reassuring. My wife and children were also able to come and spend time with me during my stay in the Unit.'

Hospice community nurses currently visit S cott every day in his home, and they are always available via phone 24 hours a day. He is thankful for their support and professional help.

'If I didn't have Hospice help I would have had to go into hospital. Hospice management has alleviated hospital visits, and enabled me to be at home with my family most of the time which is very important. I've been lucky to have met a lot of really good nurses. They are very interesting people and they all have something they can offer – some tip or little bit of knowledge to help me get through the journey that I am on.'

Karen McMillan