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Clockwise from opposite page: Dr Kate Granger and husband Chris on a charity walk in Windermere; Kate and Chris attending the Yorkshire Cancer Centre charity ball in 2012; Kate graduating from medical school in 2005; and publicising the #hellomynameis Twitter campaign


“I began to tweet about the campaign and it became clear that my experience was not unique,” she says. “I wrote a blog and invited healthcare staff to pledge their support. We designed a logo to give the campaign a visual identity, and put together a website – www.hellomynameis.org.uk – where you can find free information and resources.” The hard work appears to be paying off with lots of Kate’s 26,000+ Twitter followers


measuring what we do properly so we can see the effects of improvement work. Small changes can have a massive impact.”


Ups and downs Aggressive treatment has enabled Kate to keep working, something which is extremely important to her. “When I was first diagnosed I went through five cycles of intensive inpatient palliative chemotherapy,” she says. “That was


“ A junior doctor I had never met said that I had liver and bone metastases, when I was alone, with no warning shot”


offering their support, many buying branded #hellomynameis name badges sold in aid of the Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal.


A meaningful legacy Despite her situation, Kate is determined her illness will not be “a negative entity”. “Even though I am going to die prematurely,” she says, “I want to leave real, positive and tangible legacies that improve care for many patients to come.” While poor communication is often the result


of workplace pressures, Kate is encouraged that these skills are becoming an increasingly prominent part of medical training. “Holding up a mirror to this suboptimal care is


uncomfortable but essential for us to improve,” she says. “Everyone needs to buy into quality improvement as an idea and we need to start


extremely tough and I was in and out of hospital with complications. It did dramatically shrink my tumours, though, enough to eradicate my pain and prolong my life.” This treatment ended in January 2012 and an


unexpectedly prolonged period of disease stability allowed her to return to work and live a relatively normal life. But in September last year, she began to feel


unwell again and discovered an enlarged lymph node in her left supraclavicular fossa. A CT scan showed progressive disease. “Deciding whether or not to have further chemotherapy was so difficult. I constantly cycled between thinking ‘no leave me alone’ and ‘yes come on let’s give this a bash’. After much soul searching, I chose to have more treatment.” Kate’s disease has responded well but the


tumours in her pelvis have not changed, leaving her with difficult-to-manage ongoing pain. “Perhaps the most annoying long-term effect


of cancer treatment has been subtle cognitive impairment,” she says, “most noticeably reducing my ability to multi-task and slowing my thought processes. For this reason I don’t do on call work anymore, perhaps one of the major bonuses of dying from cancer!”


Keep on sharing Kate is equally busy when the working day ends. “I love to cook and entertain friends and family. I play the flute and enjoy swimming. I also have a ‘bucket list’ which has kept me busy over the past three years. My husband Chris and I have renewed our wedding vows, visited Paris, Barcelona, New York and California, I’ve had a tattoo and spent time recreating treasured childhood memories. I am also jumping out of a plane in August.” “I do have some dark days when I feel low and


scared but there are so many good things in my life,” she says. “Every day I see the #hellomynameis campaign spreading. Patients and carers are telling me what a difference it is making and that keeps me motivated to keep on sharing my story. “I have precious little time left and if I am going


to make this idea fly then I have to dedicate some of this time and energy while I am well.”


Rowan Morrison is a writer based in Edinburgh


Links: Kate’s blog: drkategranger.wordpress.com Kate’s Twitter feed: twitter.com/GrangerKate #hellomynameis campaign website: www.hellomynameis.org.uk


PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR KATE GRANGER


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