A CANCER patient from Holmes Chapel has become the first person to have radiotherapy treatment at The Christie at Macclesfield.
Thomas Walker, 66, was greeted by the lead radiographer for the centre James McGovern.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 and referred to The Christie for hormone therapy and 20 sessions of radiotherapy treatment.
Patients like Thomas previously had to travel to Withington in South Manchester for treatment. Thomas's first nine radiotherapy treatments took place in Manchester so being offered the final 11 treatments in Macclesfield is a welcome relief.
Thomas, pictured, said: "The new centre looks great and I'm so pleased that I can finish my radiotherapy treatment here rather than having to travel to Manchester which was a two-hour round trip for me.
"The staff in Macclesfield were superb and looked after me so well. It feels so calm and is bright, clean and spacious, with brand new technology.
"I am sure that The Christie at Macclesfield will make a massive difference to so many patients like me from East Cheshire and the surrounding areas."
There are two radiotherapy machines at The Christie at Macclesfield, each weighing 6.5 tonnes and costing around £2million each.
The new £26m cancer centre opened in December and treated its first chemotherapy patients that first day.
With the radiotherapy service now treating patients, the centre is fully open and will provide 46,000 patient appointments and visits each year and provide care closer to home for more than 1,500 patients a year.
Roger Spencer, chief executive at The Christie, said: "I am delighted that The Christie at Macclesfield is now fully open and treating radiotherapy patients."