NHS isn't thinking enough about this one huge issue cancer patients suffer through

Robert Fisk is fighting for mental health care for cancer patients (Image: Robert Fisk/Humphrey Nemar/Daily Express)

With a face like mine I don't break any hearts and because I have a face like mine I don't take many selfies. 
(And the ones I do take are just so my dermatologist team can see how my face is reacting to my immunotherapy treatment.)

So you can imagine my joy when one of the photo apps on my phone had used all its facial recognition AI powers to compile a collage of pictures of my face.

The 15 shots start with a picture from 15 years ago and end with seven pictures from during my 'cancer journey', where my eyes get blotchier and I seemingly get increasingly annoyed with the camera.

When looking back at the images I'm mostly focused on how my hair looks as it has been a vital part of my identity for decades.

I think I can recall the name and location of every place I've ever had a haircut, from Canterbury, where they'd give me a bottle of lager to drink, to College Park, near Washington DC, where the woman was concerned that cutting my hair short would make me "look like a chicken head".

There are so many thing people who don't have cancer don't think about (Image: Getty)

So, after being diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in the summer of 2023, I did my best to mentally prepare myself for losing my hair.

I bought a bobble hat which I've never worn because, thankfully, during my only appointment with the consultant in charge of my care he told me I wouldn't lose my luscious locks.

Instead what has happened is my hair has changed a lot. It used to be straight, like a fluffy version of a toilet brush. Now it is curly like a sheep's fleece. It used to be thick and now it is a thin emaciated version of its former self.

It also grows much more slowly than it used to, because the chemotherapy works to slow down the growth of lots of cells in my body.

So nowadays getting a haircut is a massive deal for me. I don't go as often as I did in the BC days (also known as before cancer) but when I do it's a chance to feel normal again.

Sitting in the chair in the salon earlier this week I had a gown on like a normal person.

I had a glass of water like a normal person and, more importantly, it was a chance to catch up with my stylist about how her Christmas had been and what she's looking forward to in 2025.

It was a version of a conversation we've probably had for at least a decade, albeit with the added tips about buying a good conditioner to make my sheep hair feel softer.

With it being such a big deal for me, I know I'm one of the lucky ones as in the chemotherapy day unit. I've seen many women in tears because they are losing their hair.

Hopefully scientists are working on treatments to battle breast cancer that don't have hair loss as one of the main side effects.

But even after that time comes it's vital that these women get the mental health support they need to deal with all the effects of cancer.

Support for emotional issues helps a patient retain their sense of self, rather than just be seen as a cancer sufferer.

And this is why the Daily Express's Cancer Care campaign is so important. I've seen a version of a holistic needs assessment questionnaire online and it does include a question about hair loss. But having such an assessment isn't standard practice across the NHS. This needs to change.

And medical teams must ensure they ask patients about their mental health, so they can get support for any issues they are facing.

It's a lonely battle without this support and this is why the NHS and the Department for Health need to step up and ensure hospitals are helping patients through all aspects of the horrific disease.