Dr Stephen has written to all patients of Roseland Surgeries about his severe illness which has kept him away from his work as a GP.

February 2023

Dear Patients of Roseland Surgeries,

I am really sorry for not being in touch sooner to properly explain what has been going on, but it has been a difficult time for me. Unfortunately, I have a severe illness which has taken some time and extensive tests and treatment.

It started towards the end of the busy summer period when it was easy to put my symptoms down to stress. There were some initial signs of weakness in my left arm and leg and – dragging my left leg slightly and having difficulty with my left hand using the keyboard at work. These culminated during the middle of the night – when all emergencies tend to occur. I experienced a full convulsion followed by a stroke – I was subsequently admitted to hospital but the results were not good.

I have an aggressive malignant glioblastoma which is a primary brain cancer. This is a terminal, incurable illness and treatment can only slow its progress to potentially lengthen life. I know many of you have family and loved ones who have had life threatening illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes and cancers so I feel rather awkward writing about this. Serious illness can obviously
happen to anyone, doctors included.

As a consequence, I am afraid I will no longer be able to work as a GP any longer. I have been lucky to be very healthy most of my life. I really enjoyed the last few years working as a GP at Roseland Surgeries. It is a beautiful place with a great mix of patients and I feel privileged to have got to know and hopefully, help the Roseland team to look after. I must stress this is an amazing team to work with and I’m confident they will do their best to look after you in my absence. I am also sure they will do their best to find someone to take over from me. The whole practice team is here to care for you, to listen to you and help you in any way they can, and I know they will continue to do this and give the most personal, best service they can. I am sorry that I can no longer be part of this team. It was a pleasure while I could and a great experience.

Unfortunately, I do not have the option of thanking my regular patients personally as others usually do. However, I would like to thank all the patients that know me and the surgery team for their recent kind cards and their help and support over the last few years.

Best Wishes to All

Mark Stephen

You can read his original letter here