Patient Testimonials – Dr Prem Mahendra MD, FRCP, FRCPath

“Thank you for looking after me so well and for all the things you have done for me. I felt very lucky from the start to have you as my consultant haematologist. The journey has been very difficult for me but I have always had solace knowing that you were there by my side. I was so impressed with your clinical judgment and experience. Tough as it was, you gave the best chance possible with my chemotherapy regimen and it was just right for me. It was just what I could tolerate and thanks to your experience and clinical acumen I was able to cope with my treatment avoiding complications and hospitalisation. Everyone around me has nothing but the utmost gratitude to you for your kindness and loving care. But I’m thinking more than anyone about my sister. She has had to cope with our mother, father and brother passing away. She feels I’m truly blessed to be looked after by you and I agree. I wanted to mention our brief conversations as well, that you managed to fit within your busy schedule. They meant the world to me. Those encounters filled me with hope and happiness. I always left the unit smiling after seeing you and I got home saying to myself – I can do this.

Thank you Prem.”

“Well, where do we start other than very simply to say, “Thank you”. Within moments of walking into the Priory and meeting you in January 2021 we knew without a doubt that transferring to your care was the best option. We are tremendously grateful for your perseverance, kindness, patience,, humour and professionalism. Your care has been exceptional and enabled us to spend more precious time together, enjoy more magical moments and make memories to last a lifetime. We could not have done the journey without your impeccable care and support. You have a remarkable gift and truly are one of a kind. We have not met another doctor like you!

We will remember you so fondly Prem and you will always hold a very special place in our heart.”

“Just thought I would send you a quick message to express my gratitude. On 19^th August you returned my call and our 5 minute conversation gave me a sense of relief, that was amazing.

I spoke to you and I had recorded that conversation, and shared it with my dad and brother who are just as grateful as me. We listened to our conversation over and over again, and it really calmed us down at a time when we were extremely anxious. We had all been in a complete state of panic for about 10 days prior to speaking to you. Your words and tone were incredibly reassuring. We have all thought of you and your words many times since, so I thought I would drop you an email. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We truly can’t express what your words meant. You gave us hope and a huge sense of relief.”

“On behalf of all the family please can I extend our thanks for all your help and compassion while Mum was in your care.”

“I have great respect for her knowledge and expertise. Also, she always listens to concerns and involves me in decisions” – Anonymous feedback from Bupa

“So many times she had expressed to me over the years that your skilful and kind care had helped her through so many uncertain times. She always looked forward to going to the clinic (so did I!) and I thank you deeply for everything.”

“Dr Mahendra was my husband’s consultant at the QE for 5 years. He died 18 years ago…but I will never forget how amazing she was to my husband and me, together with her team for all those years. I remember her so well and I just wanted her to know how much she’s never been forgotten and appreciated beyond measure.”

“Prem – 4 years of trusting with my life and a lifetime of gratitude for your support. When I needed someone in my corner, that someone was you. I will never forget the impact you have had on my life and my mind set. I could not do this without you. Thank you from my heart and that of my family.”

“Dearest Prem, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all the support you have given my sister when she had lymphoma years ago and even more so now.”

“Dear Dr Mahendra, Just a short note to say a big thank you for your help in making me feel so much better. When I first saw you I didn’t realise how ill I was but now I feel like a new man. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you for your continued care and support through a very difficult year. Your ongoing advice has been so helpful and immensely reassuring.”

“Prem, Thank you for your help and support this year. Very soon radiotherapy will be finished and we head to Cornwall for some sea air and pasties! I can’t thank you enough for everything you do for us.”

“With much love and thanks for your goodness and kindness.

I felt I must write to you to thank you for all your kindness and prompt attention. I have been very aware that I may have wasted your valuable time, but I have been very relieved and grateful to you for moving things along so fast. We both thank you from the bottom of our hearts.“

“Prem, thank you appears insufficient in a way as I want to say so much more. Having spent time with you over the last 6 months I am so impressed by your professional attitude towards this highly complex illness. From the very first time we met you have been reassuring in your manner and knowledge making me feel safe in your care. Throughout this process and my time on the ward you have always found time to explain with empathy and given sincere attention to my concerns and questions. In fact your attention to detail is a lesson to all. You have found time to make me laugh and see the lighter side of my time in hospital. I would also like to thank you for the support you have given Karen. Your skills, laughter and joy for life will always have a place in my heart and memory.“

“Life maybe a walking shadow but while this poor player struts and frets [her] hour upon the stage your care, expertise and reassurance signify everything. My gratitude is as boundless as the sea.“

“Thank you very much for agreeing to take over my care and treatment at QE hospital. Your reputation precedes you and I consider myself very fortunate.“

“I can’t thank you enough for all the care and attention.“

“I just wanted to thank you again for all your heard work and dedication. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy a fantastic cruise with Callum and Andy.“

“Thank you for all your care and support and skill in all you have done for us and continue to do. We will be forever abundantly grateful to you Prem.“

“It will be 2 years in October since my stem cell transplant and I never really had the opportunity to thank you for all your care and attention.“

“We want to thank you for all that you have done for John over the past few months. We are so very grateful for your help and care.“

“Thank you for taking such good care of me, I feel blessed to have such a great doctor like you.“

“Thank you for your most kind and excellent medical help. It has been my first experience of being the “wrong side of the sheets” and I am so impressed by the level of care I have received.“

“I wanted to say a huge thank you for all your care, advice and support during my treatment. The urgency with which you completed my diagnosis and started treatment, after a long period of uncertainty meant a great deal to me. And it was a great comfort to know you could still be thinking about me even when you were abroad. I feel the care I have received from you and the team has been exceptional. I cannot thank you enough.“

“I will always remember your kindness and care for Roger. Thank you so much.“

“Thank you again, for looking after me so well.“

“Prem, I don’t think I can or will ever be able to express my true gratitude for all you’ve done for me and my parents. In what had been the toughest time of our lives, especially for my parents you never failed to let us leave the hospital without our minds being at ease. And for that alone I cannot thank you enough. I cannot begin to imagine the absolute anguish my parents have gone through, in this time of misery. Nevertheless, your never-ending support and encouragement has made this time somewhat more manageable. Repeatedly reminding me that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel and that my inner steel will be strengthened as a result of this, has believe it or not given me hope throughout my treatment, even if my reactions to such support has not always been reflected what I have just said. I could never have asked for a better doctor Prem, there is a special place in life for people like you. “

“I would like to thank you and your team for the exceptional care that I have received over the last 7 months. From the first difficult days after receiving my diagnosis everyone has been king, caring and extremely professional. My wife and I have spoken many times to family and friends about the amazing staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and how we have been supported every step of the way. Thank you once again Dr Mahendra and may I wish you well in continuing the excellent work of the haematology clinic.“

“I should like to thank you for your kindness and considered approach to my care. My family and I appreciate all the efforts that you and the team have taken to help, encourage and support us.“

“Thank you so very much for treating me on ward 625. You were part of a team that have hopefully saved my life and for that me and my family will be eternally grateful. The work the haematology team at the QE do is life changing and I want you to know how appreciative I am for everything you and the team have done for me.“

“Thank you for all you have done. I know I am not the easiest of people with my reluctance to medicine. You have been fantastic and I am very grateful.“

“I cannot thank you enough for looking after Roger for so long with the myeloma treatment. My daughters and I really appreciate everything you have done.“

“I am writing to express my sincere thanks to you. The care I have received from you and your team was unparalleled, for which I am forever grateful and indebted to you. The whole process has been a real eye opener for me, which is why I would like to do the London to Paris cycle ride and enter the Birmingham Marathon in 2018. I would like to offer any sponsorship I raise to fundraising of your choice. I feel lucky to have found you.“

“Thank goodness for you. Sometimes too many words can obscure the message, from the bottom of my heart I thank you Prem.“

“Thank you for planning my schedule for my haematology elective. It has been a very educational 4 weeks. In the short time of getting to know you, you have been an inspirational example of a hard-working doctor.“

“You give so much MORE of yourself by being available at all hours. You “live” your work and patients like me benefit from that. So once again, God Bless you and all those you love and hold dear.“

“Just a note to thank you again for the professionalism and empathy you and your team have shown me over the last 2 years. Always, in your debt.“

“Where do I start? Words do not express sufficiently the gratitude we all feel. You are without an element of doubt an expert within your field. You have given us our daughters life back and we are forever indebted to you. “

“Thank you for your genuine care and thoroughness. I am very grateful and thankful that I was referred to you. This is every cancer sufferer’s dream. Thank you for taking me on. You have been my saviour.“

“Thank you for all your help and you guidance throughout the course of my treatment. I could not have got better without you.“

“A brilliant clinician, highly organised, sharp intellect and above all a great human being. You have left a lasting impression on me, not experienced so far.“

“We owe so very much to your dedicated, constant and wonderful care for which we are so grateful.“

“I just thought that I would like to write and thank you for your great help and kindness when I came to see you a few weeks ago. I knew when I met you that you must be the “wonderful lady” who looked after my friend CM. I have known Caroline for over 50 years and thanks to you she has made a remarkable recovery. Thank you for putting me in the right direction, I am sorry that I will not be seeing you again. I have found the QE a wonderful hospital. The treatment had been fantastic and everybody you meet when you enter the building us kind and very polite. I have very much appreciated your help and remain positive.“

“Thank you so much for all of your help and support and getting me through some dark times. I am forever grateful.“

“Thank you for your kindness and understanding during our difficult times.“

“Prem, with our immense gratitude for all the hope and kindness you gave Glyn. We will never forget.“

“It is 16 years since I was your patient and I will be forever grateful that I was under your care.“

“Thank you for your excellent care and for looking after me so well.“

“Prem, thank you so much for seeing my mum so quickly and for all your help and support. Everything you have done has helped to make her knee replacement possible much more quickly, which has made a tremendous difference to her quality of life. We cannot thank you enough for all your help. You are a star!“

“Throughout my SpR training I have felt your unfailing support. You have always gone the extra mile for me and I owe so much to you. I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with you and will always be impressed by you as a doctor and a person.“

“Christmas is a good time to let you know how thankful I am to you for all you have done for me. Not a day goes by without me being aware how lucky I have been to be under your care.“

“A little something for a very kind and reassuring expert who made my day. I thank you for your diligence, your expertise, your time and effort and for your understanding – a gift that not all doctors have.“

“Thank you so much for everything you and your team have done for me over the past 12 months. I feel that I have received the best possible care in what has been the worst period in my life. I don’t know what the future holds but I remain positive, thanks to you.“

“Today is the 11th anniversary of my transplant and I’m feeling as well as ever. I wanted to thank you again for everything you have done for me. To see my children grow in to adults and flourish has been an amazing blessing.“

“Lindy and I will never forget what you did for us in 2003. So 10 years on, I can write this card.“

“Just a big thank you for getting me through the last 5 years. Looking forward to the next….. years.“

“We would like to thank you for your amazing care over the years, which gave Steve by God’s grace, another 16 years with his family. Words cannot express how grateful we are for your dedication and help.“

“Thank you so very much for all that you have done for me over the past seven months. You have made what could have been a very difficult time into a situation which I have gained so much from.“

“Very few colleagues in the region will realise just how dire haematology had become at UHB until you arrived and worked to rebuild and set the foundation for a great service. “

“I must thank you most sincerely for all the care that I have received from you and your team over the years. I had no illusions, and knew that there was no way my medical condition could be cured, but there was never a moment when I felt that I was getting anything less than the very best possible attention and treatment. There is something else I must say. I have always greatly appreciated the way that you have told it like it is, spelling out to me the facts about my condition. I greatly dislike it when doctors try to wrap up unpleasant truths in a lot of flannel; I much prefer straight talking, and that has been your style from the start.“

“I am not sure where I begin to thank you for all you have done to help me get better. I have been so impressed by your professionalism and clarity and yet kindness and joy. You have been a huge inspiration to me on what has been the most incredible journey. Ward 625 and clinic are very impressive, all your staff thorough, kind and excellent, somehow you have impressed me the most. Thank you Prem from all my family.“

“I just wanted to write and say thanks for the treatment you gave me 10 years ago. You probably don’t remember me, you treat so many patients. I can’t believe it has been that long since I was diagnosed with NHL, then had all that treatment over the next 9 months before coming to the old East 3A ward to have my stem cell transplant. I went to Las Vegas to get married 2 months after the transplant, it was the happiest day of my life. I will always be grateful and humbled for the way I was treated during the time I was ill. Please understand how much the people who looked after me, mean to me. I think about it all the time. Thank you again.“

“I am writing to express my deep gratitude for your superior care while I was undergoing treatment. I especially appreciated the straight-forward in which you communicated the severity of my condition. It’s never easy to hear what you had to tell me and the need for medication, you handled the situation with care and grace and your patience has not gone unnoticed. My recently improved health is a credit to your expertise and attentiveness. I will be certain to continue to recommend you to everyone I know.“

“Just a few words to say thank you for your care. I don’t think I will ever find such a caring and passionate doctor like you. “

“Thank you for looking after my Mum over the past 6 years. The care and time and effort you have given her at every step of the way has been fantastic. Thank you for managing Mum’s case so well and allowing us to still have our lovely Mum with us today. I can’t show our appreciation enough.“

“As AS’s Mum and Dad we are writing to thank you for the treatment you have given him. The words “thank you” somehow don’t seem enough to express how grateful and thankful we are and always will be to you for giving him back his life.“

“I came to you frightened full of despair and fearing the worst. Your positive outlook and encouragement gave me the strength to cope through what seemed the darkest time of my life. It is so hard to put in to words how thankful I am to you and your wonderful team over these past months“

“Prem, just a few words to say thank you for your care and expert treatment. We have both worked with 100’s of doctors and you have qualities we have rarely seen. It truly makes a difference when the chips appear down“

“We know that at all times, Dad had complete confidence in your abilities and liked you enormously and we are certain that this made a significant positive contribution to his ability to deal with the disease and the rigorous treatment that he received. You have always been exceptionally generous with your time and we are conscious that on numerous occasions that we have looked to you for answers which were almost impossible to give, Thank you for explaining the developments so clearly and for your patience, kindness and candour. We do of course realise that you could not have done this without your team both in Oncology and Dudley Suite and we will be writing to them separately to express our warmest thanks“

“I also wanted to say how blessed we were to have you Prem looking after us. Thank you again for all you did for Annie. I will never forget how completely you supported and cared for her“

“I am so pleased that I had you. You were very inspirational and always very honest, which is exactly what I needed. Thank you so much for everything, and I will never forget you“

“One thing for sure is that I don’t think I will ever find such a caring and passionate doctor like you are. You often asked me how I got through my illness. You played a big part in this section of my life; your drive and positivity that you gave me during my illness. From that first meeting that we had I knew that deep down that I was going to be absolutely fine in your care“

“I wanted to personally write and thank you for the care that you were able to give my late Mother during the seven weeks she lived after having been diagnosed with a high-grade Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of 89. It was in the Oncology centre at The Priory Hospital that you first had the unpleasant task of telling my Mother and I of your diagnosis. The way it was handed and the first and only palliative chemotherapy treatment that she received was all exemplary and very kind. Later in the Dudley Suite you placed us under no pressure to find alternative care for my Mother, but continued to look after her, with the suite staff in a friendly and sympathetic way. My sister and I are unlikely to meet a consultant offering so much time to her patient again, and so quietly and patiently listening to her. My Mother was privileged to have you looking after her and she knew she was privileged. We hope your career will continue strength to strength and we wish you well in the future“

“Prem, I know that Sarah had a real fondness for you and the way you treated and respected her as a person rather than an illness“

“It is now just 9 years since we first met and as you know I was very impressed and had 100% confidence in you from that meeting. That confidence has remained solid all through the 9 years. I have had excellent treatment at all times. You have this ability to choose a very good team and to inspire everyone.“

“Thank you for saving my life. I cannot believe the difference the treatment you gave, made. May God continue to bless you“.

“I am writing to thank you and your team for the care you gave Graham over the past few months. He could not have asked for more. You Prem were an inspiration to us both and a few minutes with you gave us the hope and spirit to get on with life. I feel honoured to have met you.“

“The words ‘thank you’ are not meaningful enough for how grateful I and my family are to you but thank you for giving me back my life and hope”.

“Thank you for your love and care when I needed someone like you. Thank you, you are special“

“What good fortune it was for me to fall in to your hands together with the kindness and skills of your nurses on the Oncology Dept at the Priory“

“After what seemed like an array of flippant GPs who never really seemed to take our concerns seriously a consultant who had convinced himself that Jonathan was being overly concerned, but tried to convince us also. You were truly a light for us at the end of a dark tunnel. Thank you for your professionalism and honesty. Throughout this we felt that we knew exactly where we stood with you and that felt very reassuring. This has certainly been a challenge for us, but we have always felt that we had a good prognosis, a supportive family and employer and a good doctor“

“We often speak of you, always with fondness and everlasting gratitude. We’re so grateful to have known you“

“I wished to write and thank you for your sympathetic care of Christine toward and at the end of her life. You allowed her to feel in control and respected her wishes and that was much appreciated. I will always be grateful for your gentleness and kind support“.

“The treatment and care you gave and showed to Peter was wonderful. He was greatly encouraged to fight the illness. My family and I would like to thank you ALL for your knowledge and understanding. We know he received the very best medical care and attention. I have happy memories of our visits to the Priory and meeting so many dedicated, wonderful people who certainly helped me in many ways as well as Peter.“

“Victor, throughout the three years of his illness felt very privileged to have you as his Consultant and trusted you and respected you totally. I know that his life was considerably prolonged by your careful monitoring and expertise and I shall always be grateful for the care and attention he unfailingly received from you and all the staff at the Oncology Centre“