Mr Sherif Awad 2017-10-17 Person 5 5 0

Sherif operated on my Dad in June 2017, after a nail biting round of tests to stage the cancer and assess fitness levels for surgery. Sherif told us from the beginning what a massive operation my Dad was facing, which helped to mentally prepare the family. He was so compassionate and drew our attention to the mental challenges which lay ahead, not just the physical toll the surgery and recovery would take. On the morning of the surgery, Sherif talked to my Dad and family again, about what was going to happen. He then rang me at eight o'clock in the evening when he had finished, to say that Dad was in recovery (after six hours in surgery) and being well looked after by the anaesthetist on the team. We were so enormously grateful for the call, and to hear Sherif say that he had done 'a good cancer op' - he had removed everything he could see that was physically possible to remove. He said he had 'done his best'. What more can you ask for? Luckily Dad was able to have key hole surgery for the first part of the procedure, and I'm sure this helped with his recovery. There followed two hard weeks in hospital but we know that Dad was watched carefully and the surgical team - including Sherif - visited him regularly during this time. There was a different hurdle every day for Dad but the team explained everything to us in detail, and offered reassurance and confidence. Dad went back to hospital six weeks after his operation for a consultation. The results of the biopsy were available and worse than the staging tests showed. Sherif explained this to us all with incredible humility. Of course, he doesn't know if Dad's cancer will come back, but he explained that for many people with this type of cancer, it does. This level of honesty was critical for our family, and Sherif totally got that. Dad has made an exceptional recovery from the surgery. He has very few issues with eating - his appetite has returned to normal and his weight has stabilised. We went for a five mile bike ride last Friday - not bad for someone who is 82 and had his oesophagus removed in June. He is active every day in mentally in a very good place. Sherif is clearly very skilled at his job. But it was his level of compassion and empathy that made my Dad's journey a positive experience. As a family we all recognise this and we are so very grateful to him for the extension to my Dad's life.