Sally’s pledge to ‘give back’ after cancer diagnosis

Date of release: 4 October 2023

After surviving breast cancer, Sally Thomson decided she wanted to “give back” to the Wolverhampton NHS team that supported her and has now changed her job so she can support others going through a similar experience.

It came as a shock to her as she felt “her usual self”, but when she carried out her monthly self-breast examination, something didn’t feel right.

The 56-year-old was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2019 and started her treatment just before the COVID-19 pandemic – an unpredictable time for the NHS and for all. But she cannot thank the Breast Care Nurses at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) enough for being her “saviour” during the scariest time of her life.

Sally, who was a Receptionist at the Urgent Treatment Centre at New Cross Hospital, is now in her fourth year of remission and will continue to go for regular check-ups.

As a way of saying thank you, she will be waving goodbye to the Urgent Treatment Centre and starting her receptionist role at the Durnall Unit, based at New Cross Hospital. She will also spend a few days each week in the Davy Unit at Cannock Chase Hospital too.

Both specialist units at RWT provide treatment for oncology and haematology patients.

“I saw the job advertised and I felt that not only was it a time for a new challenge, but it was time for me to give something back to the teams that looked after me,” said Sally, who has worked for the NHS for 36 years. 

“I’m looking forward to working alongside the Oncology Team and gaining an insight into how they care for the patients, and I can help by being behind it all, because it wasn’t so long ago when I was the patient.

“I will forever be grateful, and I can’t thank them enough.”

During her cancer journey, Sally found a passion for knitting and made knitted items for premature babies at New Cross Hospital’s Neonatal Unit. She also knitted another 100 nurse mates for Nursing staff in the Emergency Department.

The knitting helped with her mental health, as well as the incredible support from the Breast Care Nurses at RWT. 

The grandmother of two is looking forward to her new role, spending time with her family and carrying on being fit and healthy.

And she encourages both men and women to carry out monthly breast examinations – seeking advice from their GP if something doesn’t seem right.