The perfect pick me-up for Darrelle
Charity provides transport so mum-of three can continue her cancer treatment
A lifesaving charity came to the rescue of an East Kilbride cancer patient fearful of catching coronavirus while travelling to hospital for treatment.
Darrelle Ferguson has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and also suffers with epilepsy, diabetes and nonalcoholic liver disease.
She feared she would die if she contracted the virus while making daily trips to The Beatson on public transport.
With all cancer patient transport cancelled amid the pandemic, the 37-year-old Village mum-of-three had no other means of making the hour-long journey for her radiotherapy appointments.
But Darrelle’s prayers were answered when a Lifesavers Scotland volunteer spotted her anxious appeal on Facebook and the charity offered to bus her to the Glasgow cancer centre.
“My chemo was at Hairmyres Hospital however, the radiotherapy is done at the Beatson,” she said. “I needed 11 treatments in total and you go Monday to Friday.
“I’d only been to the Beatson once and was driven there by Cancer Care Lanarkshire volunteer drivers so I put a post up in a local mummy group I created as I was terrified.
“I knew it was over a 30-minute drive to get there but when I googled it I saw I needed to walk 15 minutes to the bus stop, get off 35 minutes later in Bridgeton and get a train from Bridgeton station to Hyndland, then another few minutes walk to the hospital, then do it all again to get home.
“I was terrified I’d catch coronavirus doing all that travelling.
“Lorna at Lifesavers Scotland saw the post and approval was given for them to drive me there and back for all my appointments.”
Darrelle found a lump in her groin in the shower last December and went for a biopsy when it started to grow.
She was devastated when the surgeon revealed she had aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and that the cancer was incurable.
A bone marrow biopsy showed the cancer was localised to her groin and hadn’t spread any further.
Two days before Christmas she began chemotherapy treatment.
Darrelle added: “The chemo had wiped out all my energy, I never felt so weak in my life. My right foot and leg swelled and it also caused severe nerve pain in the soles of my feet so even standing up was excruciating.
“I also became extremely breathless having to take breaks after each few steps as I felt my chest was caving in. I knew I’d be a little breathless but I never expected to be so debilitated by the symptoms.
“One day my temperature was so high I was admitted for five days with a leg and chest infection and my oxygen levels were so low a scan of my chest was done and it turned out I have clots on both lungs. The clots had started in my leg causing an infection as they travelled.
“Going through all this and chemo while being mum at the same time was hard but I’m a very lucky woman to have a few amazing friends and phenomenal support.”
Darrelle was full of praise for the lifeline charity for coming to her aid during the current crisis – and for making her lockdown birthday extra special.
“My birthday was on May 17 and the guys at Lifesavers knew I’d be spending it alone, so when I got picked up there was a banner in the van and a card on the seat which I thought was very sweet,” she said.
“Seven of the volunteers also jumped out from the hedges yelling ‘surprise’. They even had one of the motorbikes show up and brought juice and cakes.
“They went out their way to wish me a happy birthday by doing this amazing surprise which felt very special.”
In a show of gratitude Darrelle aims to raise £1000 through an online appeal and continue fundraising for the charity once lockdown is lifted.
“Having Lifesavers drive me to and from every single appointment at the Beatson saved me,” added Darrelle.
“No amount of money can ever express my gratitude to each and every one of them.
“When I’m back to my normal self and the country is back to normal I will organise a big fundraiser and raise as much as I can.”
To make a donation visit gofundme.com/f/lifesaversscotland