Cancer patient given three months to live reunites with surgeon after 18 years
A cancer patient at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) who was initially told he had three months to live has had an emotional reunion with his surgeon after 18 years.
Albert Hall, 88, thought he was suffering from gallstones, but after being referred to UHNM by his GP in 2006, was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Albert, from Bignall End, was reunited at the Royal Stoke University Hospital with Mr Anurag Golash, Consultant Urologist, who performed a keyhole operation to remove the cancerous tissue from his kidney.
The meeting took place after Albert’s great niece, Nichola Harper, reached out to Mr Golash after being told the story of his treatment.
Nichola said: “Albert was always telling us about his cancer story, saying wouldn’t it be nice to meet Mr Golash again and say thank you after all these years. With the help of a friend who works at UHNM, I was given Mr Golash’s email address, and I wrote to him. He remembered Albert, and it all went from there.”
Albert said: “I was getting this terrible pain in my stomach, which I thought was gallstones. I told my wife Irene and went to the GP who referred me straight away to UHNM. But it was cancer in both my
kidneys. Without treatment, the consultants gave me three months to live, and upon hearing the news, Irene fainted on the floor.
“Later that week I received a letter referring me to Mr Golash. He told me he’ll have a go at it and explained what had got to be done. It was a new keyhole procedure at the time, but there was no guarantees about the outcome.
“Mr Golash and his Urology team took one kidney out, and whilst the other kidney had cancer cells in it, it wasn’t growing that quickly, so I was told I’d be able to manage that with drugs, which I’m still on today.
“The staff on the cancer ward were very good and looked after me well. I remember the man in the next bed to me was called George. He told me that after I came out of theatre, the doctors never left me all night because I was that poorly. All the patients in the ward were in the same situation and we looked after one another, they were nice people.”
Albert, a former miner, ammunitions worker and bin man, credits Mr Golash and his team for giving him many more “happy years” with his late wife Irene.
Albert said: “I used to work in the mines for 20 years. After coming out the pits, I worked at Radway Green ammunitions factory near Alsager, then I left there and worked on the bins until I retired at 65.
“Since then, I looked after Irene who suffered from Parkinsons.
“I lost Irene two years ago after 64 years of marriage. When you’ve been married so long it’s a big loss. Irene looked after me during my cancer, and I looked after her. We had a good life together and we were happy.”
Speaking after being reunited with Albert at the Royal Stoke, Mr Golash said: “Seeing Albert again after all these years has made my day. We do all sorts of difficult things in our job, but it’s for people like Albert.
“It’s great to see him doing so well after all these years. He had cancer growing outside from his left kidney, and we did a keyhole surgery to take that cancer out, leaving the rest of the kidney behind for longevity, and seeing Albert today is the proof it worked. It was quite a unique and complex procedure to do at the time.”
Reflecting on meeting Mr Golash again, Albert said: “I feel champion now I’ve seen him, it’s nice to see somebody that’s done something to help you. I’ve had 18 years I wouldn’t have had with my wife and family if it wasn’t for Mr Golash and his team, he was so good to me.
“Many a time I think if it wasn’t for Mr Golash I wouldn’t be here. I don’t know what my secret is, I just take life as it comes.”