Bill battles cancer… and boredom

BRAVO to BBC presenter Bill Turnbull, 62, above, who has prostate cancer and spoke last week about an aspect of treatment that rarely draws attention: how mind-numbingly boring it can be. Cancer is a physical ‘fight’, but the mental battle to get up and through every day, the loneliness and the lack of a normal routine are just as challenging.

I spent many mornings last year chatting with a friend in a chemo suite. Even as a doctor, it’s hard to know how to help a friend when they are diagnosed but just being there, and listening, is one easy and meaningful way of offering support.