Former councillor abseiled 160 feet to say thank you for life-changing care

A 73-year-old patient who is ‘indebted’ for his care over the last quarter of a century dared to descend down his hospital for Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity.

Nigel Haselden was given a 10% chance of surviving 5 years when he was diagnosed with an aggressive bladder tumour in 2004. Following an 8-hour surgery to remove the tumour and 4 months of chemotherapy at Guy’s and St Thomas’, he was given a fresh start and stood for his local council.

The former councillor for Clapham Town, in Lambeth, for 16 years said:

I went from having hospital treatment for a year and 2 months, to being catapulted into a 6-month election campaign to be councillor.

“The experience at the hospital was so psychologically important, and my doctors were my comfort zone during that time.”

Following the all clear for his bladder cancer in 2014, today Nigel is under the care of the ophthalmology, haematology, and physiotherapy teams at the Trust.

Alongside his cancer treatment, Nigel had several operations for glaucoma and a detached retina. In 2014 he was registered sight impaired, and has 50% vision.

In the same year he was diagnosed with smouldering myeloma, an asymptomatic form of myeloma which requires close monitoring by the haematology team.

Nigel is also under the care of the physiotherapy team and taking part in the Trust’s balance retraining programme following diagnosis with a form of vertigo after a viral infection. Nigel said: “I am on the up, and grateful for the physiotherapy team. The programme has been really great news and had the desired effect, it is nice to see a way out of my balance issues.”

This weekend, Nigel took on a 160 foot abseil down the hospital where both his wife, Eileen, 71, and son, Conor, 31, were born, to give something back for the 28 years of care he has received.

Nigel, who has a fundraising target of £1,000 for Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, said:

I’m very indebted for the attention I’ve had, and the abseil is one way to give something back.

 

My heart stopped for a millisecond when I stepped off at first, but the descent was tremendous, the views were amazing, and I really enjoyed it!

“No one should want to go to hospital, but I almost feel it’s a comforting presence. I have people saying ‘wouldn’t you want to be in the countryside out of the city?’ But I say ‘are you kidding, I live close to one of the best hospital Trusts in the country, why would I want to move!’”

Nigel was joined by 330 other courageous thrill-seekers taking on the St Thomas' Abseil sponsored by Livingbridge. The annual challenge raises vital funds for Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, Guy’s Cancer Charity and Evelina London Children’s Charity.

Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity supports the incredible NHS staff and exceptional healthcare for patients and families at Guy’s and St Thomas’. They helped fund a new urology centre at Guy’s Hospital that transformed the way urology patients are assessed and treated. The award-winning project, led by Nigel’s urological surgeon, Tim O’Brien, was redesigned around the patient pathway, aiming to speed up diagnosis, reduce queues for appointments, and make services more efficient. Since the centre opened in 2008, over 100,000 newly referred patients have benefited from its facilities and ethos.

Cassandre Petit, clinical haematology fellow at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “It is fantastic to see how well Nigel is doing, and we are grateful for his ongoing support for the Trust. We all wish him a big congratulations on his abseiling challenge and fundraising.”

Laura Savory, Interim Director of Fundraising at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, said:

It is thanks to our determined fundraisers braving the heights, like Nigel, that we are able to continue supporting the outstanding work of the teams at Guy’s and St Thomas’. A big thank you to Nigel, and his clinical teams, for all that you do.

To support Nigel, visit his fundraising page.