No One Ever Made a Difference By Being Like Everyone Else: Part 1

It has been three years, three gruelling, yet incredible years since my stem cell transplant. And this last year especially, has been full of opportunities and successes, but also of loss and grief. Like any life, there have been highs and lows, and I'm not going to pretend everything has always been rosey because it really hasn't. However, I have managed to get through my first year as a new graduate Veterinary Surgeon, which has not been without its own trials and tribulations, and come through the other side relatively unscathed (if you exclude the dog and cat bites...).

I pick up from where I left off in my last blog, with the British Transplant Games, which last year was in North Lanarkshire but this year, was in Birmingham. Last year I caught the bug for one of the most joyous and fun occasions. The British Transplant Games is a fantastic event, which I didn't know existed until 2-3 years ago. It is a celebration of all those who have had to have a transplant at some point in their life, in the form of one of the best sporting events, with the main aim being to have fun. It brings together a vast array of ages and abilities, all of whom have been through one of the toughest experiences anyone could have thrown at them. It really is extraordinary. Last year, I didn't really know what to expect so went for some fairly low-key options - ten pin bowling, 3km walk and indoor bowls (you know, the kind of the thing you don't see at the Olympics). The best fluke of all though was winning a gold medal in the ten pin bowling and a bronze in the 3km walk! This year I had done even less training, what with work, but still acheived a bronze in the 3km walk and another in the darts! Now I know what you're thinking...they really should have darts in the Olympics! Anyway, the most important thing was to raise awareness of the importance of organ and stem cell transplants, and celebrate the fact that we were all there, despite everything, living and breathing. What I didn't anticipate though was the awesome night out to Snobs on the last night of this year's games with Ellie, and some of team Anthony Nolan, that lead to THE worst hangover of my life so far. Definitely feeling the wrong side of 25...

British Transplant Games 2017, North Lanarkshire

British Transplant Games 2018, Birmingham

We'll quickly move on...! Last August also brought with it the start of my post-uni veterinary career, shortly followed by a day at Friends Fest! It was so hot but Lottie and I had a great time!

The One when the Two Sister's visiting Friends Fest!

September brought about the start of the New Graduate CPD Programme with work, which has been extremely good at providing us with up-to-date information on conditions and expanding our skill set. I have enjoyed this last year at work, however, it has been far from easy. Due to the two years out from uni, I have felt very much on the back foot and lost an awful lot of confidence in my skills, specifically in surgery. Having started a CBT course, I now understand this has mainly been due to a horrible amount of anxiety and depression, mainly due to everything that has happened over the last 3 years. It has taken a lot to build my confidence back up, but a combination of fantastic CPD courses, a spay clinic in Spain and brilliant mentoring has finally got me to the point where I don't want to be another statistic and drop out of the veterinary profession within the first year.

Spay Academy Spain

The veterinary profession as a whole is heading towards a huge crisis, which the rest of the country appears to be completely unaware of because (quoting my hairdresser) "loads of people want to be vets". Yes, loads of kids want to be a vet someday, loads of students go to university, but loads of students change thier minds or don't always finish the course. Hundreds of graduates then start the job with tons of optimism and hope for the future, however, the realisation that the pay for the number of working hours, and the amount of life and hobbies you have to give up to some extent, soon dawns on them. The work/life balance isn't great, your friends are on much better pay, having much nicer holidays, and not having to deal with the constant high expectations and daily moaning about cost from clients, because funnily enough they're happy to pay for their food shopping in Tesco but don't like having to pay for your 5+ years of knowledge, experience and passion that you've built up wanting to help their pets. What the general public doesn't realise is that the average new graduate salary hasn't changed in the last 8 years, but they're more than happy to grumble about the cost of insurance and charges with every visit. That's why the attrition rate of graduates is as high as almost 40% within the first 5 years.

Anyway, grumbling aside, I do really enjoy my day-to-day work, I am fortunate enough to have a fantastic team around me, supporting me, and have managed to build up my own lovely client base. But I do also really try to help the charities that have supported, and still support me as much as I can. This year myself and a group of friends did Tough Mudder Half in May to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust. It was gruelling, one of the hotest days of the year, and considering two years previously I couldn't walk, it was amazing that we finished it and in total raised approximately £760. I have also been fortunate enough to speak at another Anthony Nolan fundraiser at The Ivy in London, and was invited to their lovely Christmas Carol concert.

Team Pigs Might Fly 2018

In terms of my health, I managed to turn a corner in January when I finished my ECP treatment and finally had my Hickman line taken out. I also had an appointment with the fertility clinic at Guy's Hospital to discuss my future options following all my chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, something that I did have to push for referral for. Overall, it was very informative, so I am glad I now know where I stand in that respect, but it is one area that I feel is not discussed very openly and frankly prior to treatment. I have also been trying to work with The Royal Marsden and Anthony Nolan on a couple of projects to help support transplant patients with issues such as this and mental health. Anthony Nolan have now produced an app to help guide patients through the transplant journey, which I feel is a fantastic aid for parents, carers and patients alike.

To be continued...