A VETERAN who received life-saving treatment after being diagnosed with cancer has praised the staff at Southampton General Hospital.
Joseph Gray, 59, told the Echo he is appreciative of NHS staff after receiving life-saving treatment for cancer.
The 59-year-old was diagnosed with a form of nose cancer in July this year and had to have his nose removed.
Joseph and his wife Samantha, 56, temporarily moved to Southampton to have his surgery and to start treatment for radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Speaking of the staff at UHS, Joseph said: “Every single one of the staff at the hospital was just amazing, I can’t thank them enough.
“Right from the consultants to the nurses, the radiotherapists, just fabulous hospital
“There were so many people I met, I can’t talk highly of them enough everyone,
“I can’t put into words how amazing they are.”
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'It’s been a roller coaster'
As a self-employed licensed aircraft engineer, Joseph travelled across Europe after working for the RAF for almost 16 and half years.
In 2018 the family sadly lost the middle son Joe, 16, to meningitis, something that Joseph said the family “will never recover from”.
During the pandemic, he lost his job and due to complications associated with Brexit he couldn’t return to his profession and took up a job as a ceramic tiler.
This year he noticed what felt like a spot in his nose, at first he didn’t worry about it but as the pain got worse he had it checked in and diagnosed.
Looking back, Joseph - from Guernsey - said: “It’s been a roller coaster and I’ve just been trying to find a way through and surviving it.”
Over £6,000 raised
As bills started piling on, at the advice of a friend Joseph began a fundraiser campaign to help the family with their financial struggles.
The fundraiser attracted waves of support, and the initial goal of £200 was massively surpassed with the family being donated over £6,000.
In reaction, Joseph said: “Someone said why don’t you try a GoFundMe page and I thought nobody would ever give me anything and they told me to give it a go.
“So I gave it a try and the response was phenomenal. The relief was huge and took a lot of the pressure away.”
Joseph is awaiting a nose prosthetic to be fitted. He hopes this will allow him to get back to work.
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