The Christie Charity
Press release posted 2 December 2024
The smoking cessation and alcohol service at The Christie provides advice and treatment sessions to help patients, visitors and staff to stop smoking and remain smoke free. It also offers on adopting a healthier lifestyle and advice on managing alcohol consumption if needed. Read about 2 patients who this service has helped, and the health benefits of stopping smoking.
The shock of a cancer diagnosis can be a significant turning point in someone's life and often leads to them making changes, such as giving up smoking or alcohol.
Manchester’s internationally acclaimed cancer centre, The Christie, has a dedicated team to support patients who want to improve their health during and after their cancer treatment.
Two such patients are Ian Gresty, age 62, from Gorton and Ian Cameron, age 72, from Stockport, who have both benefited from the support and advice of The Christie’s Health Improvement Manager, Charlotte Finchett.
Both Ians have kindly agreed to share their story, hoping others will also want to make healthier choices as they look ahead to 2025.
Ian Gresty’s story
Ian Gresty is a retired school cleaner who once worked as a kitchen porter at The Christie in the 1980s. Following a lung cancer diagnosis 7 and a half years ago, which had spread to the brain, Ian was initially given just 3 months to live.
The father of 5 was referred to The Christie and offered the opportunity to start on a newly licensed immunotherapy treatment. Ian, who is a keen golfer, is still here today, living with stage 4 cancer and having check-ups every 3 months.
"I wasn't feeling well but had been working 7 days a week, so I thought I was just tired and had a chest infection", says Ian. "I was given some antibiotics, but when they didn't work, I had a chest X-ray about a month later."
"That led to a CT scan and a biopsy of the lymph nodes in my neck, and then I was told I had lung cancer. I mentioned that I also had some dizziness, so I was given a brain scan. That's when I discovered the cancer was in my lungs and brain. It was a huge shock, and I felt downhearted."
Ian’s Clinical Nurse Specialist at The Christie, Marie Eaton, asked if he would be willing to speak to a health promotion advisor. He had tried to quit smoking once before when his wife Lynn was diagnosed with COPD, but he lapsed after about a year, although he no longer smoked at home.
Motivated by a desire to see his nine grandchildren grow up, Ian decided to do everything possible to give the cancer treatment the best chance of success. In September 2017, he met with a health promotion advisor at The Christie, Charlotte, and decided to stop smoking and not consume alcohol.
Charlotte gave him the encouragement and support he needed to quit smoking finally, and he has been smoke-free ever since.
"Charlotte was very supportive and made me feel like I would get the help I needed to quit", said Ian. "She gave me a stress ball to squeeze instead of feeling like I needed to have a smoke. She would phone me to ask about me and my family and how things were going, so I knew I could rely on her. I cut down first to about 4 a day for 6 months and then decided to stop completely.
"During the immunotherapy treatment I was having, I felt ill anyway, so that also made me less likely to want to smoke, which helped. I tried an e-cigarette for about 3 years, and that helped a bit, but I don't even use that now. One of my best friends got throat cancer, so he decided to give up, too. So, there was less pressure to smoke when I was out at the pub or playing snooker."
“I was roughly 14 years old when I started to smoke. My mates were doing it, and I didn’t want to be left out. Almost everyone around me smoked. As I got older and was in the pub regularly, I was chain-smoking and getting through around 40 a day.
“Giving up alcohol was much easier. I was drinking a couple of cans a day at home and would have an occasional drink when I went to play snooker. Drinking larger left me feeling bloated, so I decided to stop drinking alcohol altogether. I had a taste of some alcohol a couple of years ago and found I didn't like it anymore.
“Due to some side effects of the cancer treatment, I came off the immunotherapy around two months earlier than normal and since then have been taking hydrocortisone tablets to help with some long-term side effects for my adrenal glands. I want to thank the amazing staff at The Christie. Not just Charlotte but also the nurses, doctors, and everyone you meet. They are all great. The care has been second to none."
Ian Cameron’s story
Ian Cameron is a retired chef and electrician who has undertaken various roles, including project management and landscape gardening. In 2023, Ian, who is married to Paula, was diagnosed with aggressive stage 3 prostate cancer.
In his spare time, Ian likes gardening and attending to his allotment. He also loves F1 motorsport and has regularly visited the Silverstone Grand Prix track.
Ian’s cancer was diagnosed following a routine health check. The GP did a prostate examination and found an enlarged prostate, which led to a Prostate Specific Antigen blood test. As this came back with a reading of 14.3 Ian was advised to go for an MRI scan and had a prostate biopsy on 4 October 2023. The cancer diagnosis was confirmed on 17 October 2023.
“Looking back, the only symptoms I had experienced in the years before were a low flow rate when having a wee and getting up for a wee once or twice during the night”, said Ian. “If only I had known these are classic prostate cancer signs.
“I had 20 radiotherapy sessions over four weeks in February and March 2024.
"My wife Paula has been my rock. She is an amazing lady who has always been there for me for over 50 years and, hopefully, many more together.
“I gave up smoking nearly 30 years ago in 1996, and during my cancer treatment, I decided to give up alcohol, and have continued to abstain since, which works well for me.
"I thought about how everyone at the hospital was doing their best for me and that I needed to do more to look after myself. I have also changed my diet and been more mindful of what I eat to keep my weight under control.
“I met with The Christie’s health promotion advisor, Charlotte Finchett, who has been a constant source of advice and encouragement.
"I switched to no/low alcohol beer initially, but then when I was having radiotherapy, I just had water (as it made me less bloated), and that improves the chance of the radiotherapy treatment being successful.
"It feels really good to be able to take control of my life, make healthier choices, and cut out alcohol. I know this will give me the best chance of keeping the cancer away.
“During the COVID lockdown, I became aware I was probably drinking a bit too much wine, and it had crossed my mind a few times to cut down, but getting the cancer diagnosis was the kick up the backside I needed.
"I'm lucky that my friends have been very supportive of my decision. None of them ribbed me, and I still enjoy going to the pub (the Magnet in Stockport) to see them. The pub has listened to me about getting a better range of no/low alcohol drinks. They have also sponsored various fundraising initiatives I've been involved with for cancer charities.
“I feel really positive about my future now and know that I'm leading a healthier life, which will give me the best chance of a long life."
“Everyone I met at The Christie and Stepping Hill has been so polite and professional, from the doctors to the radiographers and nurses, and everyone else, not to mention the reception staff, secretaries, cleaners, and maintenance staff.
"I had a PSA test a few weeks ago, which is now very low, so the treatment has been successful. I will continue to be monitored every 4 months whilst on the hormone treatment and then probably for some time after, but less frequently.
“I still have a weak urine flow and get up several times during the night, but I hope this will settle down soon. I've also ended up with erectile dysfunction, and the hormone therapy I'm on means I have no sex drive. I'm suffering from fatigue and occasional hot flushes, although going to the gym helps with the flushes.
"A nurse (Jayne Gallagher) suggested I attend Prostate Cancer Support, which meets at Dunelm in Stockport monthly. Chatting with others in a relaxed atmosphere has been so helpful. I feel empowered to support other men and their partners, and being able to give something back is very important to me.
“It’s important that men are more informed about prostate cancer and encouraged to get themselves checked if they show any symptoms. No man should be embarrassed about telling their friends and family.”
The Christie’s Health Improvement Manager, Charlotte Finchett
Charlotte Finchett has been working at The Christie for 36 years. She started off doing a domestic job and providing admin support. She took up her current role 12 years ago. She is passionate about supporting patients to make positive changes in their lives, adopting a healthier lifestyle and giving up smoking and drinking alcohol.
Commenting on her work with the two Ians, Charlotte said: "I'm so pleased that I've been able to help them make healthier choices after a cancer diagnosis. They are both great guys who have overcome various challenges, and I'm delighted that my support has made a difference.
“Smoking alone claims around 80,000 lives every year in the UK, and around one in four of all cancer deaths can be put down to smoking. Smoking also plays a part in other major health conditions, including stroke, diabetes, heart disease, stillbirth, dementia and asthma.
“In Greater Manchester, smoking rates have dropped to an all-time low, with a record 36,800 adults giving up smoking last year alone. In 2023, an estimated 284,000 adults (12.5% of the population) smoke in Greater Manchester, down by 1.8%, moving closer to the national average of 11.6% than ever before."