South East

Raising money for a new Teenage Cancer Trust unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey and shared facilities in other London hospitals.

Teenage Cancer Trust is raising money to build a state-of-the-art unit at a recognised centre of excellence, the Royal Marsden Hospital. It will care for teenagers and young people with cancer from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The unit will cost over £3million, which has to be raised locally.

Building has started and is scheduled to be completed early 2011.

Notice Board

Running for Rob - Bayer Newbury 10K

On 30th May, 50 intrepid runners took part in the Bayer Newbury 10K as part of the Running for Rob fundraising team. They were raising money in honour of Rob, a young man who was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of cancer in Christmas 2009. He was treated in the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at University College Hospital in London and was so impressed by the unit that he and the Running for Rob team decided to raise money to allow local young people to receive the same level of treatment closer to home. They managed to raise over £8,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust; a really remarkable achievement. Thank you to all the runners who trained and sweated to raise this money.

The team are still raising money so if you would like to donate please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/RunningForRob

Procter and Gamble Donation helps us reach Nicole’s Fund Goal.

Procter and Gamble have been busy raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust in the South East, as we were chosen as their Charity of the Year 2009/10. They managed to raise an amazing £35,000 for Nicole’s Fund (see below for more about Nicole). A cheque was recently presented to Regional Appeals Manager, Helen Haynes, and Jackie Dryburgh, Nicole’s Mum. This donation means we have managed to reach Nicole’s fundraising target of £100,000 and we’re very grateful to everyone at Procter and Gamble for their hard work. That isn’t the end of our fundraising for Nicole’s Fund though as we hope to double this total in Nicole’s memory. It is what Nicole would have wanted so please do keep supporting us.

National Association of Estate Agents Supports South East Appeal

Surrey members of the NAEA presented a cheque for £450 to the South East Appeal at their AGM, held in Denbies Vineyard, Dorking. The money was raised through raffles at meetings throughout the year. The cheque was presented to Helen Haynes, Regional Appeals Manager, by Wendy Evans-Scott, branch chair of the NAEA for the last two years and a member of Teenage Cancer Trust’s South East Appeal Board.

Topping out ceremony marks progress at The Royal Marsden Teenage Cancer Trust unit

Construction of a £15 million Children’s and Young Persons’ Cancer Centre at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in Sutton has been marked with a traditional topping out ceremony

The project has two phases. Phase one involves construction of a two-storey ward block, one storey of which will be Teenage Cancer Trust’s unit specifically for young people with cancer. Part-funded by the charity, the unit will be a state-of-the-art space designed to feel like a home from home for patients. Once this phase is completed the existing Children’s Unit will be refurbished to provide enhanced outpatient and day care facilities.

Fundraising appeal Launched in Surrey

Teenage Cancer Trust announced its fundraising appeal in Surrey last week (4 March) with the support of The High Sheriff of Surrey. The reception for Teenage Cancer Trust was hosted by Lady Elizabeth Toulson at the YMCA in Guildford. The evening highlighted the charity’s South East Appeal which will support young cancer patients living in Surrey and featured a former cancer patient’s incredible story from diagnosis to remission and a parent’s personal account of his teenage son’s battle with cancer.

Lady Elizabeth Toulson and other dignitaries listened to the charity’s new plans of building and equipping a teenage cancer unit at the Children’s and Young Person’s Centre at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in Sutton. This new unit will open in early 2011 and will mean that young cancer patients in Surrey and the South East will be treated with others their own age in an environment suited to their needs.

Susannah Temko, 18, from Oxted in Surrey, is one such patient who never got the opportunity to have treatment on a Teenage Cancer Trust unit when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007. At first Susannah thought a strange lump was the result of putting on weight so kept it a secret. However by the time she was diagnosed three weeks later her lump was the size of a watermelon. After a gruelling bout of chemotherapy and a long stay at Charing Cross on an adult ward, Susannah is today in remission and looks forward to a bright future.

Helen Haynes, South East Regional Appeals Manager, comments: “Teenage Cancer Trust exists to help young people like Susannah. Although we have achieved a lot since our first unit was opened in London 20 years ago this year, we still have a long way to go to ensure every teenager diagnosed with cancer will have access to one. Our South East appeal is really important for young people in the area and we need to raise £3million to make this new unit in the South East a reality.”

With Thanks To:

• Rainham School for Girls in Gillingham for raising £123.82 for our South East Appeal with their lunchtime fundraiser.
  
  
  
• The students at Spire’s Academy in Canterbury who have been busy raising money for the South East Appeal this year. Teenage Cancer Trust is the school’s Charity of the Year and students have been holding lots of fundraising events, including a Sing Star day and a disco. They have also been buying pin badges and wristbands to show their support. Keep up the good work Spires Academy!

Nicole Dryburgh

Nicole Dryburgh (21), author and Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser died suddenly on Sunday 16 May after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

Nicole's extraordinary battle through cancer, losing the use of her legs, her hearing and her sight was fought with grace and humour and at her 21st birthday in February 2010 she celebrated three years in remission. Nicole’s wit, enthusiasm for life and drive to change the lives of young people with cancer inspired many.

Nicole authored two books, received a Diana Award in 2009 and was a treasured member of Teenage Cancer Trust staff. Most recently, she received the inaugural Anne Frank/Miep Gies award, given in recognition of people who perform the most courageous acts in the most frightening situations. She was a massive fan of Coronation Street, chocolate and all things pink.

Nicole was a passionate and dynamic fundraiser. Through Nicole’s Fund, set up to fund a Teenage Cancer Trust unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, she raised over £74,000. Prior to this she raised £43,000 to fund ‘Nicole’s Sweet’, a paediatric neuro-rehabilitation suite on Lion Ward at King’s College Hospital.

Nicole was supported in her life and her fundraising by her mum Jackie, brother Lee and her much loved dogs Daizy and Molly.

Nicole’s website www.c-h-o-c.org.uk and Nicole’s Fund will remain open, true to her spirit www.justgiving.com/nicolesfund