We are The Christie magazine November 2024

Helen Hyndman Helen Hyndman, a nurse from Bury in north Manchester, recently dedicated her MBE to The Christie.

After facing severe side effects from her cancer treatment, Helen says the team at The Christie helped her regain her life. Helen, who enjoys gardening, reading, walking, and spending time with her family, was diagnosed with advanced endometrial cancer in 2018 at age 44, while working as an assistant director of nursing in the NHS. Helen’s symptoms began 18 months before her diagnosis, but initial tests came back negative. When severe pain and other issues followed, she underwent a scan and hysteroscopy, leading to her diagnosis. “Even though I’m a nurse, the diagnosis came as a shock as all the tests I’d had previously came back negative. I wanted to keep everything as normal as possible,” she recalls. Helen’s treatment included surgery at The Christie to remove her womb, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and pelvic lymph nodes, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. While effective against her cancer, the treatment caused debilitating side effects. The team at The Christie, which was led by Dr Richard Berman, took a holistic approach to

Helen’s care, developing a pain management plan and involving staff from the hospital's complementary therapy unit. Dr Berman also coordinated with surgeons to ensure Helen received the right medications during additional surgery. Helen’s experience inspired her to support others facing similar challenges. She now leads the Ask Eve service, a free and confidential nurse information line for The Eve Appeal – the UK’s leading gynaecological cancer charity. In April 2024, in recognition of her amazing work, Helen was awarded an MBE for charitable services to women with gynaecological cancers. The award was presented at Windsor Castle by Princess Anne. “The cancer treatment I had helped, but it was the wider support Richard and his team gave and continue to give me that has had the most impact on my quality of life. I cannot begin to describe the difference it’s made,” says Helen. “Richard and his team saw me as a whole person, not just as someone with cancer. We work together to make decisions that are right for me. Without him and his team, I wouldn’t be here, let alone be well enough to collect my MBE. It’s got my name on it, but it’s theirs as well.”

"We work together to make decisions that are right for me. Without him and his team, I wouldn’t be here, let alone be well enough to collect my MBE."

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