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In July 2018, Bernadette was diagnosed with renal cancer. The doctors told her that this had completely taken over her right kidney, and she was referred for surgery and treatment at her local hospital.
Soon after the diagnosis, Bernadette and her husband relocated from Suffolk to Manchester to be near their son and his family. Bernadette’s treatment was then transferred to The Christie.
Bernadette will be on immunotherapy treatment for the rest of her life. It means she has to travel to The Christie regularly for her CT scans and treatment. In between, she also needs regular blood tests.
When Bernadette was first referred to The Christie, her blood tests were at The Christie’s site in Withington. Getting across Manchester from her home in Timperley on public transport is difficult, especially as the blood tests need to be so regular.
When The Christie Bloods Closer to Home service opened close by in Altrincham, Bernadette says it was such a relief. The 10 Bloods Closer to Home clinics mean that instead of patients coming to The Christie’s Withington site for routine blood tests, they can now attend a Christie blood clinic in their local area.
Bernadette says the staff are so quick and efficient, she can be in and out in a few minutes. She can walk to the Altrincham clinic from her house, and the journey is much quicker than it would be to Withington.
And it is not only the expertise of the staff Bernadette appreciates. With the time she saves having her blood tests locally, Bernadette can do more of the things she enjoys, like walking, gardening and spending time with her wonderful grandson.
“This facility changed my life. I can walk there.”
