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Olubukola Ayodele: At Christmas, the power of HOPE feels even more profound

Olubukola Ayodele/LinkedIn

Dec 26, 2024, 13:00

Olubukola Ayodele: At Christmas, the power of HOPE feels even more profound

Olubukola Ayodele, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“I am serving as the on-call consultant this whole Christmas week from the 23rd to the 30th, which means I get to look after all the oncology patients during this period (inpatients and emergency phone line queries).

I finally opened some of the gifts I received from patients, colleagues, and friends last night, and some of the words in the cards made me quite emotional and reflective.

Every day, I meet people at one of the most vulnerable points in their lives. They come to me with fear, uncertainty and questions that often have no easy answers.

In the face of cancer’s challenges, I’ve learnt that HOPE is the most powerful currency I can offer.

HOPE isn’t about false promises or unrealistic expectations. It’s about walking beside my patients as we navigate the unknown. It’s about helping them see possibilities—whether it’s achieving remission, finding peace in the midst of treatment, or simply cherishing the beauty of today. I spend this currency carefully, knowing it must be authentic and valuable.

At Christmas, the power of HOPE feels even more profound.

It’s in the conversations where I reassure a patient facing daunting odds, in the careful planning of treatment journeys and in the shared moments of celebration for small victories. In this season of giving, HOPE is the gift we give and receive in equal measure. It’s invisible yet invaluable.

To my fellow health care providers: Thank you for the compassion and resilience you bring to this shared mission.

To my patients and their families: Thank you for teaching me what true strength and grace looks like.

May this holiday season remind us all that HOPE is never wasted and even in the hardest of times, it can light the way forward.

Merry Christmas and a hopeful New Year to all!”

Olubukola Ayodele: At Christmas, the power of HOPE feels even more profound

Dr. Olubukola Ayodele is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, specializing in breast and genitourinary malignancies, including germ cell tumors. She is also an honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leicester and heads the Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Unit at the Leicester Cancer Research Centre.

Dr. Ayodele’s work includes numerous publications, clinical trials, and collaborative research projects on molecular drivers and biomarkers in breast cancer. She is a member of ASCO, ESMO, ACP and UKBCG.