THE POSITIVE PROFESSOR
PROFESSOR KAROL SIKORA CMO of Rutherford Cancer Centres and Former Director of WHO Cancer Programme
SOCIAL media’s voice of calm Karol Sikora has been signed up by the Daily Express .Readers can now enjoy his soothing advice in these troubled times that have won him hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. If you need reassuring everything’s going to be all right read Professor Positivity.
THE most rewarding thing about my work is dealing with patients. Every single one has a different story to tell and I learn something new from every single one.
One of my first patients at Hammersmith, a wonderful lady called Pamela, taught me a lot.
She would always bring chocolates and fruit in for the nurses and receptionists and was just so kind and thoughtful.
Sadly, she had breast cancer but we were able to manage the disease and give her 25 extra years of excellent quality of life.
My wife Alison and I would often visit her in Wales where she retired. Both of us like walking so we visited them to stroll along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Tenby is such a delightful place.
At the age of 85 she passed away, followed by her husband a few months afterwards, but she taught me so much about kindness in the face of adversity.
Another patient who profoundly impacted me was David. A young and bright accountant with a pregnant wife. He was absolutely devoted to her. Unfortunately his melanoma had spread to his liver and to the base of his brain – we knew the situation was bad.
When he spoke to me he had one wish, to meet his baby.
We used an experimental drug but not all stories have a happy ending unfortunately. A week before the baby was due David arrived in hospital seriously ill. We did everything we could but sadly it was not enough.
Just as he lost consciousness he told me he could see his baby boy. It moved me greatly.
His story has stayed with me ever since. His quiet determination keeps me grounded and puts all of life’s little problems into perspective.
Life is far too precious to waste, David taught me that. If we all showed half as much courage as David and Pamela, the world would be a much better place.