IT’S hard to imagine looking forward to anything when you are battling cancer.

But for David Poole, whose prostate cancer has spread to his bones, the home visits from his St Peter’s Hospice community nurse specialist Angie Moller are a lifeline which he and his wife are thankful for.

David, 79, was first diagnosed with prostate cancer a decade ago. He was given the all clear and had only to endure a six-monthly check-up but five years ago came the call he dreaded, the cancer was back and in his spine.

He has since had a triple bypass and radiotherapy treatment but after being told chemotherapy would kill him, the grandfather-of-two from Yate is mid-way through a course of radium injections, a form of internal radiotherapy treatment.

“I try not to think about,” said David. “I don’t think that I have cancer, I just try not to think in that way and with Angie being on the end of the phone that takes a bit of the worry off me.

“I know she can get here quicker than a doctor and I can explain to her how I feel and she will give me an answer, tell me that is normal or suggest something I can do to help.”

David, who moved from Surrey on a transfer from British Aerospace in Weybridge to Filton 29 years ago, receives NHS nursing care at home but said he did not know where he would be without a St Peter’s Hospice specialist nurse on hand.

“Nurses come in twice a week and help with my bandages but anything I think is to do with the cancer then I ring Angie,” he said.

“I wouldn’t ask them anything about the cancer, I would rather ring Angie.

“I have called her on two or three times and she knows me and always comes in and has a cup of tea. She has recommended things to help, such as upping the strength of the morphine patches if I need to, and I find knowing there is something I can do a real comfort.“

He said Angie’s regular three-weekly visits also helped to relieve pressure on his wife of 55 years, who herself suffers from debilitating arthritis.

“I don’t want to put extra pressure on Ann so I am more than pleased someone is there at the end of a phone and she always asks if I want her to come round,” he added.

“Just talking things through with something makes me feel better and more confident. Plus I know it reassuring for our family to know someone is on hand if we need it.”

David and Ann, who met at school and have two grown-up children Rob and Judy, as well as two grandsons Sidney, 5, and Fletcher, 4, remain remarkably upbeat.

“We have tried to remain positive,” said David, of Kent Avenue. “You have got to and you have to accept everything that is thrown at you.”

The couple said they wanted to thank Angie and her St Peter’s Hospice colleagues on International Nurses Day today (Thursday, May 12) as a way of giving something back to the charity.

St Peter’s director of patient care Chris Benson said: “Nurses are the backbone of what we do at the hospice. From providing direct physical care to offering expert advice in the community, their care and compassion to our patients and families is central to the quality of our service.

“We are very fortunate at St Peter’s Hospice to have a team who are so passionate about their patients and improving their quality of life.”

This year’s International Nurses Day has the theme of #ThankANurse and people are being encouraged to share experiences of excellent nursing care online. 2016 also marks the Royal College of Nursing’s 100th anniversary, which many nurses at St Peter’s are members of, and the charity is holding a celebration at its hospice in Brentry to mark both events.