News and events

16/08/19

Hellie's Story from December 2016

The following piece below comes from the blog of Hellie Meaney: https://protonbeamtherapyzurich.wordpress.com/about/

Her reasons for writing the blog and for why we have published this under our news section:

This blog is for a few reasons: to keep my loving family and friends up to date with how my therapy is going and how I am; to be a source of information, comfort and support to other people who find themselves in similar circumstances; and to perhaps be of interest and use to the medical profession, as a patient’s viewpoint of the experience.

It might also be cathartic for me and means I won’t need to keep revisiting the same ground over and over. Whatever your reason for reading it, thank you, and I hope it helps you in some way, whatever form that too might take.

Hellie X

Blog 1:

Hi Everyone.

I had my last PBT treatment today at the Paul Scherrer Institute and tomorrow I fly home. Almost eight weeks ago it seemed to Mari and I that this day would never arrive, but it has, and it’s wonderful. I am so, so looking forward to seeing Mike, Flo and Patrick. Words don’t capture…

Thank you to the PSI medical team for accepting me onto the PB therapy programme. They are an amazing group of people who bring the opportunity of hope and healing to peoples’ lives. Each one of them has been kind, gentle, knowledgeable and efficient. I’m so fortunate and thankful to them all, the radiologists especially.

I have to mention also specially, Dr Fritz…a great doctor and a really lovely man, who’s good advice now is to get back home, put this behind me and get back to normal life. Which I will. Turns out he wasn’t Dr Spock after all. And the nearest thing I saw to Uhuru boots were actually my own, rather-tatty-now black, winter boots.

There have been lots of moments of laughter and joy here, despite the circumstances, as you will know…because loads of them are on this blog. The things that have been ever-present and overwhelming are the love, kindness, strength of spirit, generosity and loving care from my sister, Mari. She has done something incredible for me, for my family, for my friends. What a beautiful, overflowing heart she has. And even this blog was her brilliant idea! Thank you, beyond all the bells in the universe (I know you’ll love that), my Autumn Sister. You’re ding-dong and I love you x

See you soon and thanks for reading!

Love Hellie

.......

Hellie Meaney very sadly lost her life in February 2019 following a brave battle with Chordoma.

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