Patients' and carers' stories
Adam Rix
Haringey resident Adam Rix is 58 and retired last year after a career in IT. In his free time he travels extensively, in particular in the Middle East. This was his first time taking part in the bowel screening programme.
Caroline Dove
Caroline Dove is an architect specialising in housing. A music lover, she sings in a choir and also enjoys gardening and cooking. She’s very active, regularly cycling, walking and visiting her granddaughter: “Like all toddlers, she’s very full on – I need to be able to keep up”.
An Islington resident, aged 67, Caroline received the FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) in the post as part of the national screening programme.
Kaynath Rahman
In Carers Week 2023, we thank Kaynath Rahman for an insight into her life looking after her grandmother who has breast cancer, while working on her own life goals.
Dick Carruthers
“I can’t thank the NHS enough for sending the kit, and all the subsequent amazing care I have received,” says Dick Carruthers. “It’s not melodramatic to say I owe my life to the screening programme. Because I had absolutely no symptoms at all, I would never have thought there was anything wrong.”
Living with a BRCA gene alteration
Research published in the Journal of Medical Genetics concludes that regularly monitoring women who carry BRCA gene alterations does provide some benefits. Three women comment on the impact on their lives and what regular testing would mean for them.
George Michael
George’s wife noticed his weight loss which led to a lung cancer diagnosis.
Why Lucy took part in the ALDO research
“I first heard about the ALDO project when I received a letter inviting me to take part. I had already spoken to the NHS about having a BRCA gene alteration and had undergone a risk-reducing double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer.
