Wow what a start to the year. Unfortunately my father was diagnosed on 2nd January as having Cholangiocarcinoma a very rare terminal cancer. This was after being admitted to hospital after his pressure dropped and his temperature reached 41. It’s a difficult time for the family, but I was amazed at how much the technology in hospitals had come along.

My father was connected to a needle which recorded his pulse and recorded his heart rate, blood pressure and a number of other things. This way they were able to immediately respond when something changed dramatically, thus ensuring the well being of my father. The hospitals rely on donations to the trust for the HDU in Southend on Sea to enable them to continue to bring new technology into the HDU and Intensive Care areas. I am sure without this my Father would have declined considerably and may in fact not have been here today.

We visited the London Hospital this week, and in the meeting we were able to see the full CT Scan and MRI scan results in a way which pictures alone would not have made sense. Once again amazing how technology has progressed in the last 5 years or so, and what was really comforting at a time which is very upsetting, is that the doctor was able to completely walk us through everything that was happening to my father in a methodical and pictorial way.

My father is now on a palliative care programme and along with this he hospital have already supplied some equipment and when the stage gets worse in the next few months, we have already been informed that monitors and drug dispensing systems will be sent to his home until he no longer requires them.

It’s great to see that even in difficult times, we are so dependent upon technology, which can predict and save lives. Were just a little late in diagnosing my father’s condition for such a rare cancer.