Two weeks later she returned to Leeds to undergo urgent surgery at the LGI. She was awake for much of the procedure.

Following her operation, Joanna began six weeks of intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment at Leeds Cancer Centre, completing radiotherapy treatment on 9th January.

Ahead of Joanna’s treatment starting she had an MRI, and her radiotherapy mask made. She found this process ok, but when the radiotherapy treatment started, she found this extremely challenging.

Because of the complexity of her head and neck radiotherapy, Joanna was required to wear a full-face immobilisation mask for every session. This ensured she remained perfectly still so that the radiation could be delivered safely and accurately.

“The mask was one of the hardest parts of treatment.”

On Joanna’s third day of treatment, she experienced a panic attack while wearing the full-face mask during her radiotherapy session.

“It can be a really frightening experience, and I found the mask very claustrophobic. It caused me a huge amount of anxiety going in every day for treatment. I found it overwhelming to not be able to see much through the mask, but I was grateful to have the staff there to talk me through the process each day.

"The staff in the Radiotherapy Department were just incredible, and I managed to get through it with the help of the team. There were many times I could have just cried, but I was so lucky to have so much kindness throughout my treatment.

"Having an open face mask would have changed the whole experience for me, and I’m sure for many patients going through a similar experience. I am always trying my best to be as positive as I can, and I hope sharing my experience is a small help to any going through a similar journey to me.”

Had SGRT been available during Joanna’s treatment, her experience could have been significantly less distressing.

Joanna will begin a further six months of stronger chemotherapy in February.

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