CoppaFeel! founder Kris Hallenga says a free NHS gives every cancer patient a chance at life ahead of election
I HAVE made peace with my cancer, as weird as that may sound.
I know where it is lingering, what to expect and how to deal with any hiccups and bumps in the road.
I know to listen to my body and treat it with the respect it deserves.
But I wouldn’t know how to deal with the moment when my doctor and I know which tablet I need to alleviate my latest symptoms or which new drug has been developed that kills cancer – but I couldn’t afford it.
And I hope I never have to find out. This is why we need to appreciate our National Health Service more than ever.
With an impending election, the NHS is being used as a political football. Debates around staffing, funding and management are in the spotlight.
As a country, we are so fortunate to have access to fantastic, free healthcare.
SPECIAL PERSON
So many people are living in countries with a private healthcare system that prices the most vulnerable out of a chance at life.
They use crowdsourcing and rely on the kindness of friends, relatives and even strangers to be able to afford the medication we don’t think twice about picking up at the pharmacy here.
Yes, the NHS is under great pressure and the staff are under mounting strain, but the work they do should never be taken for granted.
Cancer isn’t going anywhere, any time soon, mine included.
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I’ve spoken so often about how taking charge of your health, your bodies, your cancer care will put you in the best position to survive it or any other equally horrid illness.
But, as I well know, your health can be in jeopardy at any moment.
Determined doctors, nurses, carers and other NHS staff work tirelessly day in day out to keep us alive.
It takes a special kind of person to work in that world. I have mentioned before the bonds I have forged with my cancer team.
While there’s the rewarding side of helping people heal and get better, there’s the heartbreaking side of having to deliver bad news.
These people do it because they care – and they don’t ask for a contactless payment at the end of a consultation.
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