Rog T's Cancer Blog - How Holiday Inn used Cancer as an excuse to ruin my 20th wedding anniversary treat

For those of you who are regular readers and have read the previous posts on Cancer, you can skip this first paragraph.This is the latest installment in my occasional series about how I'm adjusting to living with a big C in my life.  For those of you who aren't, here's a quick summary. I'm 51 years old and in October 2011 I  had a prostate biopsy following two "slightly high" PSA tests - 2.8 & 4.1. The biopsy took ten tissue samples and one of these showed a "low grade cancer" which gives me a 3+3 on the Gleason scale. I'm now on a program of active monitoring.  In early February, I got the results of the a PSA test - down to 3.5 and an MRI scan which found absolutely nothing, two more tests in 2012 were at 3.5 and 3.9, in 2013 my test was 4.0, Jan 2014 was 3.8, August 2014 was 4.0 . My latest PSA test in February 2015 it was  up to 5.5  an increase but according to my Doctor nothing to worry about, in other words the downward trend has slightly reverseed. I've no symptoms and sadly for a few people, if I'm gonna die soon, it won't be from Prostate cancer. Got the picture?


I wasn't expecting another update to this Cancer Blog series any time soon. I'd vented my spleen about how the government was starving the NHS of cash and how this was affecting patient care. I am awaiting an appointment for yet another prostate biopsy. So what could possibly go wrong......

I've not been too happy a bunny of late. I am in some ways lucky to be blessed with a partner who cares abot me. Despite having to put up with my humps, grumps, sulks and mood swings, for reasons I've never quite fathomed, she puts up with me. More than that, she tries her best to keep me happy. I am a man of few pleasures. I love music, football, wine, beer and good food. We eat out regularly, so what to do to cheer me up and raise my spirits. Well there is one other thing I quite enjoy, which de-stresses me. I regularly have massages. Now this usually elicits a snigger, but no, I am not interested in "Happy endings". I want to relax and have my many aches and pains eased. I go at least every other week and it helps.

We have our 20th wedding anniversary coming up soon. My good lady thought it might be nice to have a special day together. Being one to watch the pennies, she hunted out a rather good deal. The Holiday Inn at Kings Cross was doing a Luxury Spa package for two people for £66 including a treatment. Her plan was for us to have a nice relaxing massage, relax in the spa and then got for a pleasant meal in Exmouth Market. What could possibly go wrong?

Now as I said, I regularly have a massage. When I had my cancer diagnosis in 2011, I asked my consultant if this was a problem. His answer "You have a tiny amount of non aggressive cancerous material in your prostate, the relaxation will be beneficial". So I thought no more about it. Most reputable massage therapists will give you a health consultation form. I am always honest on this. I am usually asked about the condition. I usually explain that it is a tiny mass and I am simply on active surveillance and that is the end of the matter. I explain that massage has been recommended to assist in relaxation. Some therapists ask me to sign a personal waiver, saying that if the massage kills me, it is not their fault. I always sign these happily, as I am an adult, can make decisions and have discussed it with my doctor.

So today we turn up at the Holiday Inn in Kings Cross, having travelled to the hotel in rush hour. As usual, we get presented with a "medical form" and fill it in. We are shown in for our massage. Next thing, the therapist and the manager of the Spa come in and tell me I cannot have a massage as I have cancer. I was gobsmacked. So I asked why? "Company Policy". What, I asked? I have a massage every couple of weeks, I've a tiny amount of cancerous material and I am on active surveillance. I am an adult and I have discussed the risks with my doctor, who recommended massage for relaxation and de-stressing. I will sign a waiver. No I am told, I cannot have a massage and that is that.

I simply could not believe what I was hearing. I am an adult. If they want me to sign a waiver saying I've discussed it with them and my GP and my consultant, I will, because I have.  But the hotel will not budge. So I ask them, if it is a policy, why is there no warning on the website? Why were we not told in advance. Why do I find out now, when we are here? We have travelled to central London for a massage and now I am being kicked out. I inform the manageress that it is our 20th wedding anniversary and she is ruining it. She says "I will buy you a glass of champagne and a piece of cake whilst your wife has a massage". I am speechless. Alcohol and cake is not exactly healthy. I can have those, but not a massage.

I suggest that they look up what active surveillance means on the NHS  website and what localised Prostate cancer is. They refused to bother looking at the relevant information explaining how my stage and condition is something which most people have and don't realise. I pointed out that massage is actually recommended for stress relief for people with early satge Prostate cancer. I was told that I could come back if I got a Doctors letter (which usually costs £25).

I then informed them that as a cancer sufferer I am legally protected against discrimination. The Prostate Cancer UK website says

If you have prostate cancer then the Equality Act 2010 covers you. The Equality Act is a law that protects anyone who has, or has had, a disability - cancer is classed as a disability under this law. Even if you no longer have cancer, you are still protected against discrimination.

 But sadly they didn't want to know. They said that I was being ridiculous as I clearly wasn't disabled! By this stage I was getting quite irate. So much for a nice relaxing experience with my wife for our anniversary. There are plenty of people with a far worse disability them me, so I suppose I am blessed in some ways. But the truth is that today I was a victim of an act of illegal discrimintation for a disabling condition. The company applied a policy which refused me a service I could quite reasonably expect, with no sound scientific reason to withhold.

Holiday Inn are a large chain and there is no excuse that they do not have the resources to manage such situations. The department I was dealing with was their "health club", but the "health club" clearly has no issue with people with health issues.  A multi national company operating a facility purporting to be a "health club" cannot, in this day and age, say people who are not healthy are not welcome here.

I am pleased to report that my wife had a nice massage and in the circumstances, both her and my session costs were refunded. We had a very pleasant meal, but I am seething. A supposedly special day has been ruined and I was made to feel like a second class citizen. Whilst I should be in a chilled out and happy mood, I am sitting here bashing out a blog in a state of high agitation.

As I said to Holiday Inn, it is not reasonable to employ a blanket ban on people with cancer from having massages, regardless of stage or condition. In my case, there is no earthly reason to refuse the service and I'd happily sign a waiver. The manageress said "we don't let under 16 year olds have massages either". To me this was highly insulting, implying I am not an adult capapble of making decisions. I could drink myself into a stupor in their bar, but I can't have something in the health club, which would be beneficial.

I adjourned to the bar. When the good lady had finished she had a word with them. The manageress had clearly been doing her homework. She showed her a page on the MacMillan website saying that massage therapists treating cancer patients need to be trained. Clearly she missed the point. Firstly I am early stage and asymptomatic, no special treatment is needed. Secondly. surely here therapists should be trained anyway? If they are worried about legal implications, get a legal waiver signed.

My final comment is this. If this is the attitude Holiday Inn have towards people who are to all intents and purposes healthy, God help those who are unlucky enough to actually have something physically wrong with them.

Guest Blog - Discrimination against the ill by Barnet Council? - By John Sullivan

By John Sullivan,

I just read your cancer blog and the update on your own personal cancer issue. My cancer treatment left me with a stomach problem, a quite acute stomach problem that attacks me at random, it should not have happened it was probably  an error on the part of a member of staff of the NHS. But I have never thought to try to sue or anything like that I am just grateful to the NHS that I am still around to enjoy my family, and support my beloved wife and daughter, and  a public free at the point of need NHS currently being privatised by stealth as is the London Borough of Barnet via the One Barnet programme without consultation.

As you are aware part of that support is my dogged determination to ensure quality of life for disabled people in Barnet, with a particular interest in the activities of Your Choice Barnet and its board of directors, along with LBB councillors and officers that are highly paid to ensure the quality of life for the most vulnerable people in Barnet. One of whom is my daughter Susan and linked to her and  important to her quality of life are her peers with a learning difficulty and some with a sensory impairment and other disabilities, and the vitally important skilled and committed support staff  we rely on and value so highly yet have no value where LBB councillors  and YCB  directors are concerned.

Even before the formation of YCB, we had from the then head of adult services Kate Kennally obfuscation misinformation and obstruction, and absolutely no attempt to meaningfully consult on equal terms with parents carers and service users on any important issue. Someone determined to get her own way, someone that thinks they know everything and parents and family carers with hundreds of years of coal face experience know nothing. As a consequence she set in train the divide and rule policy that was adopted and continued by YCB to ensure complete control of all and every decision, ensuring parents and family carers have no impactive input on any subject. Someone enjoying an income in excess of 150K per annum that has decided that skilled coal face workers that have forgotten more than they will ever know about attending disabled people, are being overpaid and as a consequence are having their already low wages cut significantly. A revisit  to the guest blogs of Linda Edwards MBE and the torrid time she had convincing this highly paid person that her daughter Rachel was not enjoying any quality of life or being treated properly will give you some indication of where I am coming from.

Last night at the BSOMC committee Councillor Rawlings was successful in his attempt to secure a review of YCB  I am pleased to say. What I am not pleased about is the rules of this committee. I wrote to them asking permission to speak to the committee in favour of the request of Councillor Rawlings, and believe it or not after having checked with the legal people, that permission was granted . I am a Barnet resident that wanted to speak in support of an item on the agenda, so what need was there to check the legality of my request ? simply because I had had the courtesy to advise them that along with other parents carers and service users we had already instructed experts in this field to undertake a complete review of YCB. Its successes and failures related to the business model it was launched upon, the future viability of all YCB services in their questionable hands, and the viability of bringing all YCB services back in -house. 

We hear the cries of  "outsource anything that moves" Conservative councillors. We hear  that to bringervices back in-house would not be viable based on prejudice not fact, so our review will allow us a few unbiased facts to consider.

One fact  Kate Kennally, LBB councillors and YCB directors  cannot overlook is the fact that after more than 40 years of action in-house,  these services never finished up in huge debt, or found the need to get rid of skilled workers and replace them with cheap labour unskilled labour any Tom Dick or Harriet agency workers. As is the case after just one year of YCB, so might I suggest the return to in-house provision might just possibly be a better bet for Barnet taxpayers and service users and families , than those so determined to outsource everything suggest..

Sadly I was attacked earlier in the day by my random cancer treatment induced stomach problem and unable to make the meeting to speak in support of Barry Rawlings, therefore my colleague and co joint founder of CADDSS Janet Leifer asked to read my statement on my behalf.  It was a statement supported by many other family carers , parents and service users and the intention was quite simply to have those opinions placed on the record and Janet was denied that request.

Like Roger and everybody else that has been visited by cancer I did not choose this situation, and I find it incomprehensible that in these circumstances my democratic right to be heard and have my opinions placed on the record was denied me. Purely and simply because I am one of the many victims of cancer, and was unable to attend and afforded no facility to ensure my democratic right to  be heard via a second party was ensured.

I am so pleased that Councillor Rawlings has stuck to his task he has been continually fighting the corner of disabled people in Barnet and the call to bring YCB services back in-house ,so all we can do is hope and pray he like us is not struck down by some illness. Because that might result in his lone voice in the council chambers in defence of the most defenceless people in Barnet , being silenced  by an uninvited  illness, which I find absolutely bizarre. I ask "since when have people with Cancer been legitimate targets of discrimination and when did they cease to have the rights and dignity afforded to healthy people"