Ovareactions

The NHS saved my life. It’s saved so many lives in its 75 years. And that’s what we, quite rightly, celebrate it for. But so often the ‘little things’ that NHS workers do go unnoticed. They’re more than just lifesavers; they’re hand-holders, rant-listeners, tear-wipers, and so much more. Here are some of the ‘little things’ that stuck with me.

• The ward sister who saw how scared I was after my surgery and arranged for my mom to safely visit. “I wouldn’t want my daughter to be alone. You need your mom”
• The nurse who gently French plaited my hair after surgery
• The auxiliary nurse who would always save me a Cup-A-Soup when I was in for chemo because she knew it was all I could stomach at the time (the thought of them makes me gag now). She’d always come to find me to show me wigs that she’d seen on Instagram that she thought I’d like
• The phlebotomist who went out of her way to make us all laugh by singing about being a crazy monster and who held me repeating ‘I love ya’ until my millionth-needle-of-the-week induced panic attack had subsided
• The nurse who stayed with me and stroked my hand for ages after my first dose of chemo nearly killed me (another story for another day)
• My consultant who spotted me reading in the waiting room and came over to ask if she could recommend a book. You were right, I did really enjoy A Man Called Ove
• My specialist nurse who continues to patiently answer all my stupid questions and always respond to my ‘I feel a bit sick today’ texts
• The sonographer who talked through everything she was doing in my first TV ultrasound after finishing treatment and told me everything looked clear there and then. This one may sound basic but anyone who’s had any sort of gynaecological procedure will know how rare it is to have someone like this
• My specialist nurse who gave me an extra wig voucher so I could get something special for my wedding