DAVE WOOLVEN

In February 1974 I found a lump in my neck which shouldn’t have been there, so went to my GP. Within 10 days I was operated on in the Royal Gwent Hospital.  I hadn’t heard of thyroid cancer and I didn’t receive any information in the hospital!

It wasn’t the ‘done’ thing then. I had one blast of radioactive iodine and was told that it would be enough. My GP gave me some New Scientist magazines to read whilst in the isolation room. One of these had information about thyroid cancer in, so that’s how I first found out about it.

The isolation room was quite primitive in those days. I was given soup on a paper plate! I’m glad things have improved now. My next problem was that after my treatment, my thyroxine prescription had been overlooked and after 3 months my consultant was shocked that I hadn’t been given it to take. He corrected that sharpish. I didn’t feel any worse for that though.

My philosophy is that cancer doesn’t mean death and if I can survive anyone can.