My good doctor, a modest man who saved me
FOLLOWING the Mail’s Good Doctors Guide, can I add my story? Six years ago, after discovering a breast lump, my GP at Llanfair Surgery, Llangadog, said not to worry, but if it turned out to be sinister, I was living in the best area in Europe for treatment. He wasn’t exaggerating, as this was how I came to meet the wonderful Simon D. H. Holt, who created the Peony Breast Care Unit at Llanelli Hospital, Carmarthenshire. Not only is he a brilliant surgeon who has saved many lives, he is a modest, approachable and kind man. I had an operation to remove the lump, then elected to follow a cancer treatment trial that had recently been in the news. This involved a short period of radiation, no chemotherapy and a daily dose of Tamoxifen for five years. The Mail has featured Mr Holt in other articles on breast cancer and he has appeared on BBC News. Excellent and informative as it was, I was disappointed that he was not included in the Good Doctors Guide. As for new knees, I have had both successfully replaced at Llanelli hospital’s orthopaedic department — not at the same time. My problem was probably caused by a misspent youth and middle age playing hockey!
JULIe BreNAN, Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire.