Calea held their second Wales patient day for homecare patients on parenteral nutrition in partnership with University Hospital Wales in September. The event was held at Cardiff City Stadium and those who attended heard talks from people on home parenteral nutrition and had the opportunity to network and share experiences with others.
Liz Taylor from Wrexham spoke about her journey and how she has overcome challenges along the way. She ended her talk with a beautiful and emotive poem about staying positive and enjoying life following the introduction of HPN.
Liz Taylor discussing positive memories since being on HPN
The second speaker, Paul Philips, from Gwent talked about his many holidays and how he enjoys his life to the full whilst travelling the world on HPN.
Those who attended the meeting praised the Calea nurses and the clinical team at University Hospital Wales for the service they provide. One patient praised the team saying ‘The teams at Calea and the hospital have been fantastic, they have really improved my life and are now more like friends than anything else. Thank you for inviting us and please keep having these meetings.”
The day provided an opportunity for those who are new to HPN to hear from the more experienced patients and found the day useful and uplifting. One attendee said: “I have only been on HPN for 6 months and this meeting has really made me realise that my life isn’t that bad and I can do so much more than I initially thought. It has been great to hear stories from the other patients.”
Carolyn Wheatley, Chair of PINNT, attended the meeting and provided valuable insights into holidays on HPN. If you would like to hear more about the support PINNT provides to patients see their website http://pinnt.com/
Calea plans on holding patient days across the UK, in partnership with NHS clinical teams. For more information please contact your clinical team in your hospital or contact us.
Poem by Liz Taylor
You’ve been given another lease of life
And sometimes, it seems so hard
Feeds and tubes and wires and things
You’ll feel like you’ve been dealt a ‘bad card’
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But there are always folks around you
To listen and help you out
To comfort, guide and give support
Make sure you seek them out
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Whilst Doctors and Nurses can give advice
They don’t understand the whole deal
To have your lifestyle altered so much
It’s something you have to feel
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So my advice is “get out there are enjoy every single thing”
Try to look on the bright side of whatever life may sling
We’ve got these things to live with so just get on and do your best
And hopefully with Calea support, they’ll take care of the rest
