A mother-of-three whose husband was diagnosed with stage four cancer says he was left in the dark about his chemotherapy appointment for weeks – because NHS staff ‘went on holiday’.
Anna Sales, from Bacton in Norfolk, described how the life of her family ‘turned upside-down’ when Chris, 42, was told he had an eight-centimeter tumour.
Something seemed off towards the end of November last year when Chris began to feel unwell – he was given antibiotics and the pain initially subsided, but after two days the symptoms returned.
Doctors initially gave Crohn’s disease and IBS as possible explanations – but when Chris was taken in for a scan the family’s fears were confirmed.
A large tumour was discovered, with medical staff informing the family the advanced colorectal cancer had also spread to Chris’s lymph nodes.
Ms Sales, 40, told the Daily Mail: ‘It all happened very quickly. We were told that it was an aggressive, fast-growing cancer.
‘We are trying to be really positive and just sort of taking it one day at a time – we’re a very close family and lucky with the support we have. It’s really scary though and I know the kids are really struggling with it.
‘Chris has always been really healthy – not one for getting ill and he rarely gets a cold.
Anna Sales, from Bacton in Norfolk, described how the life of her family ‘turned upside-down’ when Chris, 42, was told he had an eight-centimeter tumour. Anna and Chris are pictured together
Chris is seen holding his newborn nephew as he lies in a hospital bed during his battle with cancer
‘There’s no family history of cancer and he had clean medical records. It was just a complete shock.’
The family are now desperately raising funds through GoFundMe to support themselves through the coming months.
Chris was informed he had advanced colorectal cancer on February 11, his birthday, with doctors warning they expected it would spread.
Everything initially ‘happened really quickly’, Ms Sales said – though before long, things ‘seemed to go really stagnant’.
The mother-of-three was left ‘ringing up’ and ‘chasing’ the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital – which despite being an hour’s drive away, was the closest one – just so the family could ‘get appointments through’.
She said: ‘They first told us it would need to move really quickly but then everything slowed down.’
Ms Sales explained the family was initially told Chris would be ready for a chemotherapy appointment within four weeks of his cancer diagnosis.
However, this soon stretched to months and when the family were informed Chris’s chemotherapy was due to start in the coming week, they also hit a blank as they were then allegedly given no further update.
Eventually, the family were informed the specialist nurses were on holiday – hence the absence of communication, Ms Sales said.
She added: ‘We did feel like there was a lack of care and Chris was being neglected – even this week we were told a consultant would come and see him in the ward in the afternoon. But he didn’t show up.
‘And I think it doesn’t take much to just pop in.
‘We are left in a limbo at this moment. I think they are understaffed – they have all the procedures and steps they have to follow, taking them away from personal care.
Chris is pictured with his eldest son, Lucas, who recently turned 16 and is currently managing Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
Chris and Anna’s three children are pictured. (L-R): Emmy, 14, Toby, 11, Lucas, 16. Despite the circumstances, the family are remaining hopeful
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‘You’re left to feel like you’re a statistic rather than an actual human being.’
Ms Sales admitted she ‘couldn’t fault’ nursing staff on the hospital wards as they had been ‘amazing’.
She also said her family had been struggling due to the cost of living.
‘Working people are always the most hard done by. Just a weekly food shop is double what it was and it all eats away at your finances.
‘I think the Government also needs to make it easier for people to get help when they need it – there are all these different grants but if you happen to be someone that works and your income drops you still can’t access them,’ she said.
Ms Sales is now raising money on GoFundMe to help with the financial challenges.
She said: ‘We have three children at home, and as a family we are doing everything we can to stay strong for them.
‘One of our children is currently managing Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) while also preparing for GCSEs, which adds another layer of worry and pressure during an already incredibly difficult time.’
She added that their ‘amazing niece’ Lily was also taking part in Tough Mudder, a 15k obstacle course challenge on May 9.
Ms Sales said that fortunately, her husband’s age was on his side.
She explained: ‘Had it been another 20 years he wouldn’t be here.’
Despite the circumstances, the family are remaining hopeful – with Ms Sales, who is currently balancing a tutoring job with caring for her family, saying her work helping people with their mental health has now helped her in her own challenges.
Dr Tarnya Marshall, NNUH Interim Medical Director, said: ‘We are sorry to hear of Mr Sales’ and his family’s concerns and we are happy to discuss further with them to answer any specific questions they have.
‘Reducing waits for patients awaiting diagnosis and cancer treatment is a priority for our Trust and we have made significant progress in recent months. We are on track with our cancer performance improvement plans and we are committed to make further progress to improve patient outcomes and experience.’
