Southsea athlete praises QA Hospital for care after cancer diagnosis

Lisa Anderson was taken to A&E at Queen Alexandra Hospital last September after having continuous pain following a fall.

The 42-year-old was diagnosed with a form of myeloma, a rare blood and bone cancer that destroys bone marrow. The cancer had affected her spine and left her too weak to walk.

She underwent radiotherapy, chemotherapy and had to wear a brace to keep her spine still, spending nearly two months in hospital.

Lisa, from Southsea, said: ‘I came into QA Hospital on a Friday thinking I would leave in a couple of hours.

‘I wound up being there for six weeks getting treatment.

‘I had radiotherapy on my spine to stabilise the damage, then I had chemotherapy—four cycles were given over 16 weeks.’

Lisa, who is now in remission after a stem cell transplant, is sharing her story as part of The News’ We Love QA campaign. We launched it to celebrate the work of staff at the Cosham hospital and encourage readers to share stories of the high-quality care they have received.

Lisa, who used to run marathons before her diagnosis, said: ‘Going into the emergency department on a Friday night, I thought it was going to be hectic but it wasn’t.

‘I was quickly seen and the staff were amazing. I couldn’t fault them.

‘After I was given the diagnosis I was sent by private ambulance to an orthopaedic hospital who provided me with a special brace. If it wasn’t for QA getting me there quickly, I don’t think I would be walking now.

‘For me, it was just the little things they did.

‘While I was in hospital, my husband Ian would come in with a meal from M&S and we would have a date night – the staff accommodated that for us.’