The obituary notice of Myrddin (Merv) REES

It is more than 32 years since Mr. Rees saved my life. Now I am well and in my ninetieth year all due to his skill and dedication and that of the team at Basingstoke. R.I.P. Edward Wright.

Rest in peace Merv - All my love - Barbara Rutter from Sweden

Mr. Merv Rees was quite simply my hero and of my family too. He literally gave me a chance and saved my life without a doubt back in Jan 2017. I'd been diagnosed colon cancer stage 3 initially in Aug 2015 which sadly spread to my liver and peritoneum. In Jan 2016 I was told by my then NHS oncologist here in Fife, that I was now terminally ill, inoperable and incurable. She gave me a possible 6-9 months left to live but added that even if the palliative chemo did work, I wasn't expected to live beyond the end of the year. I looked out our private health insurance and begged my oncologist to refer me to Mr. Rees as I'd heard such a lot about his superb reputation. To cut a very long story short, I met him, he also took my case to the peritoneal team too and two major surgeries were carried out in Jan 2017 then March 2017. When I was under his care for my liver resection he visited every single day of my 8 day admission ensuring I was ft enough to fly home on discharge. I returned for Cytoreductive and HIPEC and was in hospital at The Hampshire Clinic for just over a month. He even came up to visit me following being released from ITU and would often approach Ross and I in the lovely grounds when we were taking a stroll. The care and compassion he showed was exemplary. He was such a talented and compassionate surgeon with a heart of gold and such an infectious personality. Something quite rare these days. Not only did he save my life but he's given me many years of a great life. There really isn't anything I can't do if I want to so I live a very busy, fulfilling life and have welcomed 4 grandsons into it too, one of which I actually delivered in an emergency in the Bath! (I'd been a midwife many years before) My family and I owe my life to Merv Rees

My condolences to all the family of Mr Rees. He saved my life. I was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer in 2006. My oncologist gave me 6 months. The cancer had spread to my liver. After the colon surgery I had a consultation with him at his office in Basingstoke. Prior to this I had researched the best liver surgeons in the world. He was in the top three. The other two were in the US. I mentioned this to him and he said that the difference between the three was that he took on the difficult cases. After reviewing my MRI’s and CT scans he asked if he could do a nuclear scan and if I could return an hour later.

When I returned he said “you are very fortunate, your disease is all in the left lower quadrant. Which option do you wish to take containment or cure?” I was shocked as all the other physicians had told me that my condition was terminal. He stated that he normally would not take more than 60 percent of the liver in a resection, but to give me wider margins and as I appeared to be quite robust he would remove 75 percent.

6 weeks later I had the surgery. The operation lasted 9 hours. He apologised to my wife for the length of the surgery stating “I did not realise how big he was!”

The surgery was a success and even though my oncologist said the 6 months of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and the experimental tumour inhibitor would make me sterile my wife gave birth to a daughter 2 1/2 years later. I discovered later that he was the neighbour of my father’s cousin Rosie. He was an exceptional man and not only was it a privilege to know him, but I am forever grateful that he prolonged my life and gave me a daughter.