Samy Harbut, our Patient and Family Services Coordinator and WAPO lead attended the Annual World Alliance of Pituitary Organisations (WAPO) Summit in Lyon from 17th- 19th May this year.
*AS SEEN IN PITUTARY LIFE*
Gordon's story: A recollection of hospitals in the 50's.
I was diagnosed with acromegaly in 1987 and had transsphenoidal surgery in early 1988. This was followed by a six-week course of radiotherapy in 1992. I could not find much information about my condition – the internet did not exist and The Foundation had not been formed. I had to accept what I was told by the doctors relating to my condition and treatment.
"I became a volunteer with the Pituitary Foundation 2 years ago when they were looking for Helpline Operators for the Support Helpline. It came at just the right for me. The Foundation had been a huge support to me for the previous 10 years while dealing with my own pituitary condition, Acromegaly..."
A pea sized problem...volunteering
"When discharged from hospital I had no idea that The Pituitary Foundation existed. I was in a bubble of bewilderment. Ecstatic to be going home after almost a month in hospital. Nervous not to have medical professionals around me but looking forward to my own bed. In the following weeks and months there was a lot of rebuilding of my physical and emotional health to do and I hadn’t realised the enormity of it..."
"After having had constant headaches and other symptoms for about 20 plus years, I was finally diagnosed with Acromegaly at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London on the 24th December 1993 - Not the best Christmas present I have ever had...."
"My name is Dominika Butler; I am a scientist and like many of you – a pituitary patient. My volunteering journey started in July 2015 when I contacted Rosa at The Pituitary Foundation and asked if I could be of assistance, but let me start from the beginning…"
"My name is Indi Banerjee, I am a specialist in children’s growth and hormones. I have always been fascinated by how hormones work and have such a great impact on peoples’ lives. I carried my interest through my training period in children’s medicine and I am now a paediatric endocrinologist in a busy hospital...."
