I wrote a blogpost last year on my Cabbage and Semolina Blog to celebrate the 69th birthday of the NHS.
I’d had a cancer diagnosis a few weeks earlier and didn’t think I’d still be here to celebrate the 70th birthday of our NHS.
But I am!
I was at the chemo unit of our local hospital on Tuesday having my 9th cycle of maintenance therapy (21st cycle overall) and today am halfway through a 46 hour chemo infusion at home via a vacuum pump, which a district nurse will remove later this afternoon.

THANKYOU
our National Health Service for saving my life and keeping me alive.
I value every extra day I’ve been given and I value our NHS beyond words.
THANKYOU
doctors, nurses, admin and technical staff.
You’re all amazing and wonderful and appreciated to the nth degree on this special day of celebration for 70 years of our wonderful NHS.
But on every other day you’re overworked and underpaid.

THANKYOU
Aneurin Bevan and the Labour Government for starting our NHS after the Labour landslide in 1945. (And no thanks to the Tories who opposed the founding of our NHS every step of the way.)
And for rescuing our NHS from years of Tory neglect after the Labour landslide in 1997.
And isn’t it ironical that in this 70th anniversary year we’ve had to crowdfund over £150k to try and get a Judicial Review to stop the ultimate step to privatisation with the present Health Secretary’s ACO plans.
THANKYOU
Dr Colin Hutchinson, Prof Allyson Pollock, Prof Sue Richards, Dr Graham Winyard and the late Prof Stephen Hawking for your bold and successful campaign (whatever the outcome you and we are winners because we stood up to undemocratic, under=handed trickery).
Urgent Legal Action for Our NHS
Thankyou for standing up to this Tory government’s ideological determination for ever more privatising and asset stripping of our NHS.
And how remarkable is this campaign to Take Back our NHS:
Best birthday present for our NHS? Booting out Branson and co
which has now got the support of Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, Jon Ashworth.
Read The Pledge here and ask your MP to sign it here.
So glad you’re still battling on, Cathy! Good for you.
Yes, we both have a lot to thank the NHS for. They’ve been brilliant to me over these past 7 months. Such fabulous staff. So supportive and professional. I couldn’t ask for more. Thank goodness for Aneurin Bevan! Can you imagine such a mammoth and inspired idea ever getting off the ground in today’s polical set up? No, me neither.
Thanks Wendy. And well done you too. Viva our NHS!