A few nights ago, I was nursing a patient who, earlier that day, had been given the news that the brain tumour he had been diagnosed with was a high grade GBM – that is to say, a high grade Glioblastoma Multiforme. It is the most aggressive of the malignant tumours of the brain and has the poorest prognosis. My patient was told he likely has only months to live.

Suffice it to say, he was in a world of hurt – both physical and emotional. Not only was he struggling to process this crushing news...