Within the past few weeks in my own family we've had someone who 'all of a sudden' realised she had a brand-new lump on the breast. Cue utmost anxiety, fear, gut-wrenching waiting for the emergency hospital visit to the specialist.
She says that after the testing they took her to the little room at the end of the corridor. You know, the one where they break the bad news. They waited, and the doctor told her 'It's just a cyst; we can drain it and you can go home.'
I was thinking of her this morning as I read Aida Edemariam's article in the Grauniad, about Maggie's Room. It's astonishing that someone's come up with the idea of a place where you feel very comfortable at hospital, find a quiet corner where you can chill and have a cup of tea at your own pace, talk to the medical folks if you want or just come to terms, in a comfy environment, with the news many of us most dread, 'You've got a terminal disease'.
I was once a builder, and am pretty surprised that some of the biggest names in British architecture are involved in designing these 'comfy places' at many hospitals in the UK. Susan rang (really) just as I finished the article and turned the page, wondering whether it was time for a cup of tea. I told her to buy the Guardian, and read the article. You can too, by clicking on the title above.
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