Jonathan is proud of the care he gives to cancer patients

My name is Jonathan Brack and I’ve been a Pretreatment Radiographer at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre for the last five years.

I didn’t know I wanted to be a Radiographer until I got to the letter R in the UCAS book. I saw what the course involved and I thought, I can do that, talking to people all day and helping them. I knew a few people who’d died of cancer too, so it all seemed to fit into place.

A big part of my job is keeping people still. So being able to make them feel relaxed is important. I try to have a laugh with them and I don’t take myself too seriously.

No-one wants to feel like they’re being treated by a robot.

They want someone who can relate to them when they’re at their most vulnerable. That’s what I pride myself on. And that’s what motivates me to get out of bed in the morning.

I want patients to feel like they’re my priority for the half an hour that I see them. Because they are. Completely.

The support we get from Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity is incredible. The funds they raise help patients get the best possible care, improve their outcomes and reduce their side effects.

Radiotherapy equipment costs a lot. We’re talking millions, you know.

But they don’t just raise money for obvious things like CT scanners. They run a Will-writing programme with a firm of solicitors in Bristol. This would normally cost a packet but the solicitors do it for free - you just give a donation to Above & Beyond. 

They also helped get young adults off the general wards and into their own unit; so they’d feel less vulnerable during their treatment. Now they have their own rooms and showers, pool tables, a cinema room and loads of staff. A proper home from home, if you like.

Above & Beyond make a real difference to people’s lives.

You can too, with a donation.

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity supports all patients and services within University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. We make your donation go as far as possible by using it in the area of greatest need at your hospitals.