She's been a cancer nurse for 15 years, but Maggie knows just what it's like to be a patient

Maggie Fay has been a familiar face on the wards and corridors of Southampton General Hospital since she arrived to begin her training in the late 1960s.

For the past 15 years, since becoming a Cancer Research UK nurse, her focus has been treating hundreds of cancer patients – many of them in desperate situations – using brand new treatments delivered through clinical trials.

But the mum-of-two knows more than most of her colleagues just what it feels like to be a cancer patient – after discovering she had the disease herself.

Maggie was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, the sixth most common form of the disease in the UK, which claims around 21 lives every day.

But she counts herself as one of the lucky ones and says she has research to thank for still being here today as she and her fellow CRUK nurses throw their weight behind World Cancer Day this Saturday.

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It was in April 2008 after rushing to eat lunch that Maggie first noticed pains in her chest but put it down to eating too quickly.

But when the pain persisted she went to her see her doctor – a trip that might well have saved her life.

“Oesophageal cancer is silent – many people don’t know about it until it’s too late, so I feel I’ve been very lucky,” said Maggie after doctors discovered her cancer following an endoscopy.

She said: “Being a Cancer Research UK nurse and spending my days caring for people with the disease, it felt unreal to me when I was told that I had it too.

“When you work in this field you are always conscious that it could happen to you but when it actually does, it’s almost surreal.

“I had to break the news to my colleagues who were all very supportive and they followed my progress.

“The care I received was brilliant not only from them but from start to finish in every aspect of my journey.”

Maggie was given three months of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour before undergoing major surgery at Southampton to remove part of her oesophagus.

She said: “Having the knowledge that I did as a CRUK nurse helped. When I went for my chemotherapy I knew what would happen and how – but it was quite strange to attend the same chemotherapy unit that I worked in and be treated by the colleagues I knew so well. They were so kind, caring and professional and I felt totally safe in their hands.”

Maggie continued: “What is different for me now is that I actually understand what it feels like to be the patient. If anything, I really feel it has helped me as a nurse because now I’ve experienced it too.”

Maggie spent three months in hospital recovering from surgery and added complications. She remained off work as her recovery continued – helped along by fellow cancer sufferers and specialist groups where she had previously directed her own patients to for support.

Maggie said: “The one thing I found a marvellous comfort was meeting and hearing from people who had been there and survived.

“I had my family and friends but I also got a lot of strength from an oesophageal support group based in Portsmouth. It was there that I met one man who was 17 years recovered. He gave me great hope.

“Now here I am, it’s been nine years and hopefully I can give hope to other people too.”

Maggie, who is 68, has now returned to the job she loves, working one day a week at the CRUK Southampton centre alongside a team of dedicated colleagues.

She said: “In my mind it’s marvellous really, what they could do for me and what we can do for others. 

"Here in Southampton the work never ceases – they are always trying to look for something new; a better, kinder and gentler treatment.

“Being part of this team I have witnessed first-hand the developments and strides we are taking. 

“When I first started out, if you had cancer you basically just died from it. They were giving radiotherapy and doing surgery back then but overall it wasn’t very successful.

“I was here when chemotherapy started out, when we first delivered it to patients and it was an exciting new time. But since they have developed the research things have moved on much more rapidly. 

“New treatments, new drugs, new ways of treating people are being developed all the time. I’ve seen great changes in attitudes, treatment and expectations for cancer patients and their survival.”

Maggie added: “What is happening here – the relentless work they are doing – is going to make such a difference to people in the future because research is the only way we will beat cancer. The people of Southampton are so very lucky to have all this on their doorsteps.”