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.
