Quotes from patients

Support from others

‘she [patient’s wife] guided me…she would translate…she would talk to the ward people…’ (P7)

‘we’d come home and discuss it [information from the consultant] what she said about so and so…having two sets of ears helped’ (P11).

‘my daughter always takes notes…so when we come away we can go through them…they are quite happy with that…if I go on my own, I would retain some of it and I’d probably forget some of it…my daughter knows all about my treatment’ (P9).  

‘we were proactive and looked for information’ (R,P7)

‘we’d [patient and partner] talked through it [decision related to stem cell transplant] over a number of weeks really…we’d come back to it…there’s this factor and that factor…’ (P18)

‘there are times when my wife has come to the rescue…particularly if I get an infection…I’m thankful there is somebody else around’ (P11)

‘we’d both be involved…it wouldn’t be one partner on their own, it would always be the two of us involved together’ (P21)

‘he [husband] doesn’t sway me, he leaves it very much up to me, he wouldn’t persuade me…’ (P1)

‘I’m as involved as much as I can be but at the end of the day it’s [patient’s name]… he has to make the decision, I can’t make it for him’ (R, P31)

‘she [partner] kind of left me to make the decision really, but we’d talked through it over a number of weeks’ (P18)

‘she’s [patient’s wife] been with me at every step’ (P27);

‘you need somebody to be the rock…to take the strain off you’ (P16);

‘I don’t know how I could have coped without him [husband]’ (P6).

‘I knew chemo was what I’d have to have but when he [consultant] told me, that shocked me, and I was so upset and scared…really scared’ (P4)

‘I’ve got a very good friend…we’ve known each other 50 years…I would never have got through it without her…you need support…somebody talk to…but she has her own family…I don’t like to be a burden to anybody’ (P8).  

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