My name is Sandra and I have lived here in Mojacar with my husband Peter for 5 years. Our dream was to retire and live somewhere in the sun, so we bought an old house in Mojacar and set about completely renovating it.
About this time I realised I was due for a smear and decided to go to an English speaking private doctor. During this examination several tumours were discovered and I was told it looked like I had cancer and I would need an immediate complete hysterectomy. I didn’t know who to turn to. Luckily for me a neighbour, who had had cancer, sent me to the Urgencia and they, in turn, sent me straight to the hospital in Huercal Overa. I was seen straight away and a biopsy was taken within an hour. Fortunately for me the results didn’t show any cancer but they couldn’t be sure until after they had performed an hysterectomy. This operation was carried out here and was covered by a form E106, this form is for people who are not in receipt of a pension but who have worked and have paid national insurance contributions in the UK. The maximum length of cover by this form is 2.5 years. The care and treatment that I received was excellent, but the experience of being in a foreign hospital was very scary as I had very little Spanish at that time. I paid for a translator when I needed to see the consultant, but the rest of the time I had to manage the best I could.
I am now fit and well and lead a very busy life.
I am supporting MACS because they are helping people who live here and who have to deal with cancer, or carers who are looking after a loved one. I remember only too well how frightened I was when told that I may have cancer and I realise that it could have been me.
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