ONJ patient Noel Watson was diagnosed with cancer for the second time around in 2023. In remission with prostate cancer, doctors found a new tumour and last month he received treatment, which incorporated the MR-Linac machine to treat a mesorectal tumour.
In 2022 Austin Health became the first Victoria hospital to offer the state-of-the-art MR-Linac, which combines MRI capability with radiation therapy to target and treat cancers.
High-quality imaging allows doctors to adjust the radiation therapy in real time and deliver it with pinpoint accuracy to a tumour, limiting damage to healthy tissue.
Noel explains that he has found the care and support at the ONJ Centre to be above and beyond his expectations. “I mean Dr Ee Siang Choong called me this morning because he was thinking of me and wanted to know how I was going. That level of care just doesn’t happen elsewhere.”
Noel explains that cancer diagnosis triggers so much uncertainty, patients ultimately need to feel safe. “And I felt in safe hands at every level, and every step of the way. It was amazing.”
“I just want to acknowledge what a fantastic, world-class team you have, the facilities are amazing. I want to thank everybody from the receptionists to the volunteers, the administration, to the nursing staff, to the radiation therapists, the physicists, and to the oncology doctors. The care I received was seamless – everything was taken care of. Thank you all.”
