To think Chemo patients should not be pestered.

That is appalling.The hospital staff should have asked her in advance and in privacy if she wished to speak to him.

I think it is most insensitive, what were the hospital thinking ?

I am utterly horrified kassi .
Wicked!
There are an awful lot of people rushing around pretending to be "healers" of one kind or another and sometime taking money from vulnerable people.
Next week are they going to have a parade of rabbis, priests and imam's all offering to do their bit for people who have not asked for their attention????
I thought in hospital you specified your religion and unless you admitted to belonging to one, you would not be bothered.
I think the staff, if they are so deluded as to think this is a good idea, should ask people and not let this spooky character loose in the chemo area. Apart from anything else - how do we know he has had his flu jab!!!!!
And yes IT CAN DO HARM if it convinces people that spiritual nonsense will work so that they give up their course of chemo.
If that ever happened to me or a relative I would be writing a very stiff letter of complaint.

I am very surprised indeed that this activity had been sanctioned by the hospital chaplaincy. I worked in hospitals for a large part of my career and at our local hospital the chaplain was great - liberal-minded, caring - a cheerful and sensitive visitor to the patients, religious or otherwise. He got my vote, agnostic that I am.

He would never have sanctioned this and it is quite quite wrong. I think that you could reasonably make your own complaint about this even if you friend would prefer not to get involved.

I would complain. If he had turned up when my sister was having chemo, he'd have got the sharp end of her tongue, and if I'd been there, he would have heard my choicest Anglo-Saxon swear words!

Thankyou. I just needed other opinions, as I was an 'onlooker' so to speak. The Chemo treatment room has about 20 people having life saving treatment at any one time. They are seriously ill and vulnerable. I personally was appalled. My friend declined, but others seemed to agree to this man 'ministering' to them. It's not the fact that he was a spititual healer that bugged me, it's the fact that he was allowed to approach people. I really want to complain, but its not in my nature to 'make a fuss'.

kassi There are times when making a "fuss" is to your credit. I suggest that this is one such occasion.

Rather than 'make a fuss' in the chemo unit maybe you could speak to someone in the PALS office , every hospital should have one they will raise your concerns with the relevant unit or with hospital management.

That's appalling. The last thing I'd want is some healer trying to mess with me.

Appaling. I would actually contact the head chaplain at the hospital and make formal complaint- or the Friends of the Hospital. It is totally unacceptable to pray on people like, when they are at their most vulnerable.

Not criticising jura but was that a pun on prey?

I think he might have got a two word answer from my OH if he'd approached him during his chemo session. Second word rhymes with cough!Doesn't even make eye contact with anyone else if possible (apart from nursing staff). Takes his book, settles himself down and waits patiently for the drugs to be administered and absorbed in his system.
I think that anyone making approaches to people undergoing treatment is appalling and it should not be allowed under any circumstances.What are the hospital authorities thinking of ?
It may be giving people false hope of a cure and it also undermines the treatment that those patients are receiving. If conventional medicine can't cure you, then try mine!
Are other religious representatives allowed to go round the treatment room as well?

Just a thought here. Although I strongly agree that patients should not be approached or pestered in this way, the fact that this man was offering 'healing' suggests to me that it was probably something such as reiki, whose practitioners never claim to be able to 'cure' any illness, just provide relaxing therapy.

My sister had both reiki and reflexology, but never in the middle of her chemo sessions.

Yes, the 'there and then' bit is strange...

jeni, lol - I is a furiner - so I make mistakes, thanks though

kassi I think his choice of words 'what have you got to lose' was insensitive. Letting the hospital know this man is pestering people surely is not making a fuss. I would have gone straight to the reception desk and asked what this was about. Is he going to be there at every appointment bothering people. Next will they have people collecting donations.

I think ana that kind of "healing" would not be offered under the remit of a chaplaincy badge.

jura I thought it might be a very clever pun!

Jess, yes I agree, I'm actually quite puzzled about a 'spiritual healer' wearing a chaplaincy badge? Was it just that he was authorised by the chaplain to be there?

jeni, I do wish I'd thought of it. It would have been quite good - but sadly, no!

Oh well!
Actually, some people do think this sort of thing helps! But it should NOT be offered during a chemo session!

If it had happened while my husband was being treated someone would have been punched and it wouldn't have been my husband!