A cancer survivor has raised more than £5,000 to pay for an essential piece of equipment that could help numerous other cancer patients facing gruelling chemotherapy. Gail Cope, from Mumbles, has had cancer twice and wanted to use her experience of cancer treatment to help other patients during what can be a very challenging, painful and exhausting time.
Gail was first diagnosed with breast cancer a decade ago and was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021, after taking part in a cancer charity bike ride. Whilst she didn't require chemotherapy for her breast cancer, she faced six rounds of chemotherapy treatment for her ovarian cancer, which, in addition to a serious operation, were carried out at Singleton Hospital in Swansea.
During chemo, Gail was often "apprehensive" about whether her nurses would be able to find a vein - and on one occasion, it took nursing staff three attempts to find a strong enough vein to use for chemotherapy. With this in mind, and keen to ensure other cancer patient don't face this extra worry, Gail has fundraised £5,200 for a "vein pen," which nurses can use to locate their patients' strongest vein for chemotherapy.
According to Swansea Bay NHS, the specialist vein pen "enables cannulas to be fitted successfully, avoiding potentially multiple attempts at insertion". To get the latest Swansea news stories to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter
Gail, 60, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November, 2021 after she took part in Jiffy's Cancer 50 Challenge bike ride from Cardiff to Swansea. During the ride, her stomach became swollen - which she soon learnt was the result of a tumour which urgently required surgery.
Thankfully, Gail's operation was successful and after a course of chemotherapy, she has had the all-clear and is back to her athletic self - she's even recently completed her first-ever triathlon!
Recalling the time she was diagnosed, Gail said: "It was the second time I had cancer. The first time was in 2013 when I had breast cancer which resulted in me having a double mastectomy. Fortunately, I did not need chemotherapy on that occasion.
"But I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after doing Jiffy’s bike ride. My stomach was very swollen and I did not realise what it was. It turned out to be a very large tumour which ruptured during surgery - I looked like I was having twins!"
"I had my operation in November, and in January I started a course of chemotherapy," she added. "I had six sessions and was quite lucky as my experience wasn't too bad compared with other patients who were going through harsher treatments. I like to think my fitness helped me through it."
Gail, a retired civil servant, has always been sporty and is a member of Swansea Trisharks, a local club which offers fitness and competition coaching. During chemotherapy, Gail turned to fellow Swansea Trishark member Shelley Griffin, a nurse, for advice on making the difficult task of finding a strong vein for treatment an easier and less painful process.
One piece of advice Shelley gave Gail ahead of treatment was to hold a hot water bottle on her wrists before chemotherapy, to warm up her veins and ultimately make it easier for the nurse to find a vein. Shelley also told Gail about vein pens, which can make the experience easier for both the patient and the nurse.
Gail raised the funds for the vein pen by hosting an Abba Night at Mumbles Cricket Club with live entertainment, an auction and raffle and by setting up an online fundraising page and encouraging family, friends and neighbours to donate.
"The Trisharks have been very supportive; we have shared tears and laugher but to be part of such a group was so comforting," Gail said. "When I was undergoing treatment I couldn't do much exercise, but if the girls were doing anything such as a cycle ride, I would go along by shadowing in a car and providing refreshments from 'Copies Café'"
Praising Gail for her generous fundraising, oncology matron at Singleton Hospital Rachel Smith said: "Getting the vein pen will help us provide a better service for our patients. It can be distressing for both the patient and the member of staff if there is poor access to the vein and there are failed attempts at cannulation.
"With the vein pen, hopefully repeated attempts are reduced and the patient has a less distressing experience. We always want to make the patient experience better, so having something like this will hopefully improve that. It can be a traumatic time for patients, so anything we can do to improve the practice is what we aim to do."
Have you, or someone you know, raised funds for something amazing in south Wales? Get in touch if you'd like to share your story, email: molly.dowrick@walesonline.co.uk
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