Hospice service is more than a life and death matter

SAM VOLPE on a service that brings support when it matters the most

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Nialle, who has benefited from bereavement support at St Oswald's Hospice

FOR a South Shields man living with metastatic skin cancer, St Oswald’s Hospice services have been a godsend.

Jason Meiers, 54, was diagnosed with a melanoma more than a decade ago.

While his cancer has spread and cannot be cured, he has been able to keep the disease at bay and keep working. But, after having lymph nodes removed, he experienced a worrying symptom that threatened that - his left arm swelled up to twice its normal size.

That's a symptom called lymphoedema and is not uncommon in cancer patients. In effect, the body's immune system is less able to transport excess fluid. But the support of a specialist clinic in South Tyneside run by St Oswald's has helped Jason to bring this under control.

Hospice Care Week earlier this month raised awareness of how hospice care is “more than you think”.

Jason said: “I had a mole on my back, and it has spread from there and become a metastatic melanoma. I've still got that now - it is incurable. I have had numerous surgeries - including getting my lymph nodes removed. About three years ago, my left arm just swelled up to around twice its normal size.