I'm getting treated for cancer...in my garden!

A FORMER headteacher has been getting cancer treatment in his garden shed in a pioneering hospital scheme to give patients life-saving drugs at home.

- Chris Riches

Des Burns, 67, needs immunotherapy to keep bladder cancer at bay and having it at home makes it far more comfortable.

Since 2015, The 2015, The Christie Hospital has sent nurses out to give vital drugs to patients.

Dad-of-two Des has received the Manchester hospital's 50,000th "at home" treatment.

He even had his treatment in his shed "snug" last Christmas, when his living room was being redecorated.

Relief

Des is given the drug Avelumab once a fortnight via a drip, which takes about an hour.

He said: "As well as having more time for my family and the things I love, having treatment at home is great for my mental wellbeing.

"I don't have to worry about getting stuck in rush-hour traffic on my way to the hospital or finding somewhere to park. And I don't get stuck in a long queue in hospital.

"It takes a lot of that stress away, particularly when you are having long-term treatments for five years or more. Not having to travel to the hospital in Withington is a massive relief when it's snowing or raining.