The Christie Charity
Story published 20 August 2024
Velesha Ahmad has just finished treatment for breast cancer at The Christie.
Here, she talks about the patient support services that helped her through her treatment.
52-year-old Velesha Ahmad lives in south Manchester with her husband and son.
She was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer – a form of the disease that uses oestrogen, progesterone and HER2 protein to grow – 2 years ago. She had surgery at her local hospital and then chemotherapy at The Christie.
“Waiting for treatment to start was hard as I just wanted to get cracking,” comments Velesha. “I knew that cancer would have a physical impact on me, but I wasn’t quite expecting how much it would affect my emotional and mental health. Thankfully, The Christie’s care was all-encompassing. They looked after my mind and soul, as well as my body,” Velesha says.
A wig helped Velesha feel more like herself
After starting chemotherapy at the beginning of May last year, she popped into see Emily who runs our wig service.
“Not all people having cancer treatment lose their hair, but the chemotherapy I was having meant that I would, which is something I struggled with. I know that not everyone wants a wig but for me, losing my hair felt like losing a part of my identity,” she adds.
The mother-of-2 wanted a wig for her daughter’s graduation, as she was concerned about not feeling like herself at the event.
“I felt a bit of normality was being restored despite the constant whirlwind of treatments and appointments,” Velesha continues.
Complementary therapy helped with side effects
Velesha also benefitted from acupuncture and aromatherapy thanks to our complementary therapy service.
Part of her treatment put her into menopause which led to hot flushes. To combat this, she had 6 sessions of acupuncture which helped. She also used aromatherapy rollers which helped with stress.
Acupuncture and aromatherapy are just 2 of the therapies offered by the complementary therapy service. Funded by The Christie Charity, it’s completely free and available to all patients and their loved ones.
“The acupuncture and aromatherapy helped with my side effects, but it also gave me time to myself, so I could just be. You can’t underestimate how important that is,” says Velesha.
Finding community at Maggie’s
Velesha attended some ‘Look Good Feel Better’ workshops at Maggie’s. These sessions are run by trained volunteers from the beauty industry who share practical advice on changes to skin, eyebrows, eyelashes, hair, nails and body confidence.
She also joined a support group called ‘Where’s Now’ for people who have finished treatment and want to meet with others in the same boat.
“I met people with a variety of different cancers and really bonded with them. We bounced off each other. If someone was having a bad day, we’d all be there for them. It was brilliant to have that support,” she adds.
Velesha is one of the patients who stars in our new video, We are The Christie. Watch the video now to see the wide range of services provided by The Christie, how the cancer centre helps improve the quality of life for cancer patients, and the impact this has on them.