Ruth Harcourt has been an integral part of Keeping Abreast since the charity’s inception in 2007.
She is still very much involved today, both as a patron and a volunteer…
You worked for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for more than 40 years; can you tell us about your time there?
I started work as a student nurse in 1980, qualifying as an SRN in March 1983. From there I got a post as a staff nurse on the Plastic Surgery Ward, where I first learnt about breast reconstruction. After the new NNUH opened in 2001, I continued in Plastic Surgery. Because of advanced and more complex surgery for women who had undergone mastectomy and wanted breast reconstruction, the job of Breast Reconstruction Nurse Specialist was created and I started in January 2003.
I continued in my role as CNS in Breast Reconstruction for 20 years and was lucky to work with some brilliant and forward-thinking Plastic Surgeons who made the service what it is today.
I worked with the patients and their families, helping them navigate their way through the whole process, educating and informing them, trying to make things easier during a very tough time.
How did Keeping Abreastcome about?
In 2007 I was approached by two breast reconstruction patients who had found lots of support regarding breast cancer but very little for breast reconstruction. I had previously put patients in touch via telephone, but it was decided that a face-to-face meeting would be beneficial. We invited 30 patients and 50-plus came and brought friends and family.
We recognised that there is a great need for women to meet and talk to others who have been through similar experiences. In my role as a nurse, I could use Keeping Abreast to enhance the patient experience, both in a personal and practical way.
Keeping Abreast provides information, support, practical help and advice for those considering breast reconstruction, including the opportunity to share the experiences of others. The aim is also to raise awareness, and many groups have been established nationwide.
What makes you proudest of your involvement with Keeping Abreast?
I have met many hundreds of women over the years and got to know many of them as friends. You only have to talk to them to know what breast reconstruction has meant to them and what a difference Keeping Abreast made to their experience. I love the fact that the charity is still going strong after 17 years – who’d have thought it?!
As a self-funding charity there have been many fundraising events, but my absolute favourite is the Keeping Abreast ‘More Than Just Fashion’ Show [in Norwich Wednesday 9th & Thursday 10th October 2024 – www.mhtickets.com]. To see women on the catwalk, confident in their “new” bodies after such major surgeries always brings a lump to my throat.
Why should breast reconstruction patients get in touch?
As a nurse, I was expert in the surgery, hospital stay, wound care and recovery; what I couldn’t tell patients is what it was actually like to have the surgery; this is where Keeping Abreast comes into its own. Patients are on hand to tell their story, offer support and share their own experiences with handy tips and hints that worked for them. This cannot be underestimated.
You now volunteer for the charity on a regular basis – what do you do?
I’ve always done this, but now I have the freedom to volunteer whenever the need arises, be that at Festive Fairs, fundraising events, raffles, information stands etc. I also regularly volunteer in the Head Office, stuffing envelopes, preparing ‘Comfort & Care Bags’, putting together information packs to be sent to patients and hospitals around the country.
When did you retire?
I retired in March 2023. I really miss the people, both patients and their families, also the nursing and medical staff who were such a big part of my 43 years as a nurse. However, a new chapter is being written by Specialist Nurses who have taken on the role since I left. I am also enjoying doing many activities and enjoying life as Grandma to Amelia Grace, born in May this year.
www.keepingabreast.org.uk