A 93-year-old great grandmother who successfully battled bowel cancer has thanked Tameside Hospital staff for restoring her strength to spend time with her family.
Dorothy Walters underwent numerous tests receiving almost daily blood transfusions before doctors discovered she had bowel cancer and problems with her gallbladder.
She underwent a Laparoscopic Right Hemicolectomy and Cholecystectomy to remove half her lower intestine and gallbladder on June 13 and since has made an incredible recovery.
“I’m more than happy with the care that I got. I had every faith in the surgeon and the anaesthetist as they were very nice,” she said.
“They did excellently for me and did me proud.”
Mamoon H. Solkar, Consultant Laparoscopic Colorectal and General Surgeon at Tameside Hospital who treated Dorothy, said: “Mrs Walters is a remarkable person at 93 years. She underwent the procedure and continued to show this gritty determination to recover and she did marvellously.”
Mrs Walters shed more than a third of her body weight, going down from 12 stone to under eight stone, due to completely losing her appetite.
She said: “I couldn’t eat much so I lost a lot of weight because all I could manage was Horlicks. I just had no appetite, wasn’t hungry at all and had to force food down.”
Dorothy was collapsing regularly at her Ashton flat before daughters Ann Gale and Lynn Hibbert took her to Tameside Hospital in April.
Dorothy explained: “The biggest thing it’s given back to me is my strength to enjoy time with my five great-grandchildren as I was quite frail before but it gave me a boost to see them. I have got a new lease of life and now I can have quality time with them.
Dorothy’s daughter Ann said: “The opportunity that Mum has been given at her age is just pure gold. It makes me very grateful to live in a country where you have access to free healthcare no matter how old you are.”
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