Patients’ bravery ‘humbling’
Treating cancer patients never gets easy for one of the country’s leading oncologists, but he is always humbled by the strength and character shown by those battling the disease.
Feilding’s Dr Garry Forgeson was given the highest accolade out of those inmanawatu¯ featured on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, beingmade an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to oncology.
He has been amedical oncologist at Palmerston North
Hospital since 1988, with his career also involving a range of governance positions.
He also led the work to create regional cancer treatment services between Palmerston North, Gisborne, Hastings, Taranaki and Whanganui hospitals.
The decision to move into oncology came during his final year of medical studies ‘‘for reasons that are not clear for me’’, he said. But being able towork with a range of patients, young and old, was appealing.
The disciplinewas not especially interesting at the time, but treatments and care for cancer patients had since evolved out of sight. Chemotherapy had gone about as far as it could, with targeted treatments and immunotherapy taking an everincreasing role in battling cancer, he said.
Treatment was increasingly successful, meaning people were living longer and better lives after a cancer diagnosis, he said.
But it was still difficult, as oncologists were not able to cure everyone, and Forgeson said dealing with the emotions from that may be getting harder as he got older. ‘‘It’s always difficult, and it’s important to have high levels of empathy,’’ he said.
‘‘But it’s also important to not try get too involved, otherwise it would become a situation that did destroy people.’’
Cancer care in New Zealand was a ‘‘postcode lottery’’ when he got into the trade, with different health boards funding different treatments. Creating a national approach to oncology had created far better results, he said.
He had also worked tomake Cancer Society branches across the Central Districts more equal in the services they could provide.
Cancer was a very difficult disease, associated with fear and anxiety, he said. ‘‘It’s fairly common in the community – people see it – and it often has a time course.’’
But the response from people suffering from it was often quite amazing, he said.
‘‘Patients have always humbledme, generally, with how courageous they are in dealing with it. The large majority of patients seem to be able to call on an inner strength to deal with it and move through it.’’
His success had to be credited to the oncologists, pathologists, physicians, nurses ‘‘who are very patient with me’’ and others involved in treating cancer patients, he said.
He had also been supported by his wife Deborah and their children, as his work often kept him away from them.