Judie Lam can’t speak highly enough of the care she received from the PA Hospital and its staff since her first cancer diagnosis nine years ago.
Judie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She had three operations, chemotherapy and medication, and was declared cancer free.
Unfortunately for Judie, she was diagnosed with lung cancer two years later.
“After the last operation on my breast cancer, the doctor told me that I had a ‘black spot’ in my lung they wanted to keep track of.”
For two years they had been monitoring that spot and it turned out to be lung cancer. Since then, she has had a major operation, a couple of radiation treatments and targeted medications.
Judie has received some of the treatment for her lung cancer through the PAH and she can’t speak highly enough of the care she received during the treatment.
Judie’s first interaction with the healthcare team of the PAH was through the Radiation Oncology Centre located on Raymond Terrace in South Brisbane where she received radiation therapy in response to a relapse of her lung cancer in 2019.
“The people there were very professional, very friendly and very caring. They’re helped me to go through the difficult stages of radiation treatment specific to lung cancer patients,” she said.
“I am so thankful to them; I couldn’t help sending them bags of chocolate every Christmas.”
Having migrated to Australia for forty years, Judie lost her husband to cancer twenty years ago.
Judie is currently under the care of PAH’s Professor Ken O’Byrne and the cancer services department’s clinical trials unit, where she is a patient on a clinical drug trial, an opportunity she is thankful for as it has allowed her to forego chemotherapy and retain much of her quality of life.
“I have seen a few relatives and friends who passed away with cancer within months or weeks,” she said.
“I understand that the trial drug will not cure the disease, but hopefully will manage it so that I can have more time to prepare and to spend with my family and friends.”
“Everyone in the clinical trials unit is very professional, friendly and caring. The nurses are so nice in the way they talk to and treat all patients. You can hear laughter in the treatment rooms.
“I don’t know how to describe it other than to say I am very grateful that I have the care of these people.”
You can support clinical trials and the care of cancer patients at the PA by donating here.
