"Heartfelt thanks to the Charlie’s team"

This is a note of genuine thanks, but more so a reflection on how wonderful the team is at SCGH.

For background, our lives were turned upside down with my wife’s diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the early hours recently (handled incredibly sensitively by the haematology Registrar, Dr Caroline). Ten days in G73 with the amazing ‘Haem Team’ under the brilliant care of Dr Brad, saw my wife commence chemo, before an infection had the MET team respond, and my wife has spent the last 29 days in ICU suffering septic shock and recovering from critical illness. Now she is about to return to the haematology ward to continue her treatment for ALL.

My wife has been under the care of more than 80 dedicated healthcare professionals plus numerous support staff in the past 5 weeks. The interactions between all of these people has been exemplary, and the connection across teams (in our case, most notably ICU and Haematology, but also others) is frequent, seamless and very reassuring. The team at Charlie's truly demonstrate a wonderfully integrated approach to healthcare.

I know that my wife’s life was saved by the SCGH ICU team, and I know how hard they all worked. So my heartfelt thanks for that. The Charlie’s team have proven they are not only highly skilled, but they are compassionate, committed and truly caring. The transparency and willingness to slow down when we are unclear or unsure about something has been consistently superb. But moreover, the holistic approach to healthcare, recognising that recovery is not just a physical but also a mental health and mindset challenge, is recognised and appreciated - truly putting the patient first, with decisions made in consultation with us and actions taken immediately in response to signs of any anxiety.

My wife has further battles ahead, but I cannot imagine any better care for her than at Charlie’s. The culture of excellence is obvious throughout and the commitment to respectful patient care is wonderful.