Royal Surrey Charity Matters: supporter magazine - autumn 2022

Royal

Charity Matters

Hello!

Welcome to the autumn/winter edition of your supporter magazine.

Following a challenging couple of years, it has been truly heartening to see an increase in the number of community-based events and activities taking place in aid of Royal Surrey Charity. We’ve received some fantastic support in celebration of St Luke’s Cancer Centre’s 25th Anniversary and the Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre fundraising campaign which, with support from local MP Jeremy Hunt, has got off to a fantastic start with over £190,000 raised to date.

At the time of going to print, we’re preparing for our first sponsored walk, Stride for Cancer Care, and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has signed up to support people living with cancer – we look forward to sharing highlights with you in the next issue. The charity also launched a new funding initiative in collaboration with Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Surrey with a view to support innovative ideas across the Trust that will offer significant benefits to our patients. You can read more about this project, made possible through a generous gift left in a Will, on page 7.

Without you, we couldn’t make the difference we’re making and I hope you enjoy the updates and stories covered in the magazine.

Head of Fundraising

The White Horse Luncheon Club served up a cheque for £8,862.

Hascombe lunch club raises thousands

The White Horse Luncheon Club served up a cheque for an incredible £8,862 for Royal Surrey Charity.

This year, the club chose to support two projects with its successful annual auction - a new ECG machine for Hascombe Children’s Ward, which will help diagnose heart problems in children, and the new Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre.

Thank you to John Gosling and his nieces, Racheal Glover and Dawn Matthews (pictured here with some of our radiotherapy team) for donating £1,500 to our Radiotherapy Outpatients Department as a thank you for the excellent care John received.

for Cancer Care

Thank you to our brave team of 14 fundraisers, including 8 Royal Surrey staff, who leapt 10,000ft out of a plane.

Together, they’ve raised close to £9,000 to support patients and staff at the Royal Surrey.

Karen with her mum before the skydive.

“My amazing dad bravely fought cancer for several years but sadly passed away 15 years ago. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and the Royal Surrey has been brilliant. I took part in the charity skydive to say thank you to all the staff at the hospital who have supported my mum.”

Karen Bonner (pictured above) skydive participant

You’re absolutely tea-rrific

In July, we celebrated the NHS’s 74th birthday in style with a tea-rrific NHS Big Tea staff bake off. Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate – you raised close to £5,000 to help transform care. Plans are already underway for the NHS’s 75th birthday next year – if you want to get involved, drop us an email: rsch.charity@nhs.net

The winning cake!

The bake off judges.

Fancy the challenge?

Royal

Why I’m remembering Royal Surrey in my Will

Here, she tells us about her journey – and why she’s decided to leave a gift in her Will.

At the time I was diagnosed, I’d actually gone to the doctor about something else. I just happened to mention that I had an ulcer that didn’t feel like an ulcer and hadn’t gone away. The doctor initially said to treat it with steroid cream and told me to come back if it didn’t go away, so they

could refer me. I went for my first appointment at my local hospital in Basingstoke initially, and the doctor took one look before saying ‘I’m really sorry to have to tell you this…’. And that was the start of it all.

I wasn’t even 40 when I was diagnosed and remember thinking how unfair it seemed.

I’d never smoked; never drank too much. Tongue cancer was still seen as an ‘old man’s cancer.’ It was dealt with amazingly quickly – from diagnosis to operation – and I’ve had the most amazing care over 24 years at the Royal Surrey. I’ve had some ‘wobbles’ along the way, where I’ve needed further operations and treatment, but it’s so reassuring to know the team is here for me. If I woke up tomorrow

Back in 1998, Karen West was diagnosed with tongue cancer at just 39 years old.

Pictured: Karen in Northumberland with her dog, Monty.

and was worried about a lump, I know I can phone up, and I’m really grateful for that.

At the time my cancer was diagnosed, I taught adults how to be trainers, working in the civil service. I subsequently went on to become a coach; developing leaders in the UK and oversees. I’m retired now but I’m still a part-time vicar, so my tongue is and has been really important! I’m also an amateur singer in a choir – so it’s great to be able to still sing as well.

Making an impact

Over the years, I’ve fundraised for Royal Surrey Charity to raise money for St Luke’s Cancer Centre, as a thank you for the care I’ve received. I’ve taken part in a couple of sponsored walks –my spaniel Monty (pictured) even joined me for the ‘Run the World’ challenge recently.

I had a very big birthday three years ago. I celebrated with a barn dance and asked people to donate instead of gifts. It was my 60th birthday and the 20th anniversary since my diagnosis. People were amazingly generous and we used the money raised to buy a comfortable chemotherapy chair for people being treated for cancer.

Now I’m retired, I can’t afford to give on a regular basis, and – like most people – I’m just about making ends meet on a month by month basis,

which means I don’t have a lot left over to give to charities.

That’s why I’m leaving a gift in my Will to Royal Surrey Charity – it’s something I can do now that will make a difference later.

I have family I want to take care of, but in terms of my charity giving, it’s really important to me that some of that goes to St Luke’s. Obviously when you’re gone, you won’t be around to see it used, but it’s nice to know that there’s something there that will benefit others in the future.

My family are massively grateful too. You’ve been utterly brilliant and I’m so pleased to be able to leave something to the Royal Surrey: you’ve given me my life back.

We all like to know our money is being used for something specific that will help and make someone’s visit a bit more comfortable.

You can’t take away the pain. You can’t take away the worry. But you can help make it a more pleasant environment for someone having treatment. That’s why I’m leaving a legacy to Royal Surrey Charity.

Did you know you can leave just 1% in your Will to Royal Surrey Charity, while leaving the rest to your loved ones?

Writing or amending your Will is simple. During November, we are working with local solicitors to provide a free basic Will writing service to our supporters.

Where your money goes

Here are just some of the projects your donations have funded . . .

Cardiology enhancing its services with treadmill system

Our cardiology department received £26,080 to fund a state of the art treadmill system, which will help diagnose narrow or blocked arteries in patients with heart problems.

Bright ideas receive funding to transform patient experience

Alegacy donation, gifted with the wish of funding innovation and research, made our ‘Bid for Better’ project possible.

More than 50 applications from staff were received for funding from Royal Surrey Charity and the University of Surrey to improve the hospital experience for patients. Royal Surrey staff are now set to bring their bright ideas to life, after winning grants totalling £230k from the ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitches.

Thirteen projects were given the green light, including a community outreach project for preterm babies or babies who require additional support after discharge.

We look forward to updating you on some of the projects in the next issue.

Medication is normally used to cause stress for the heart, so medical staff can monitor and record any issues. Exercise on the treadmill can now replace the drugs, to put the same stress on the heart in a more natural way.

Siva Ratnatheepan, Registered Clinical Scientist and Head of ECHO Services at the Royal Surrey, told us:

“The cardio treadmill has made a tremendous impact on diagnosis of heart disease in our local community. It picks up cardiac problems quickly, and allows us to better assess risk levels of our patients. Thanks to this equipment, we are expanding our service and enhancing the reputation of ECHO services in the region. Thank you for your donations.”

Fiona England (left) and Jo Macleod (right) from Royal Surrey’s neonatal unit.

Frailty Academy ensures improved care for patients

In our last issue, we told you how a legacy gift has supported the development of a Frailty Academy at Royal Surrey.

The academy has now been up and running since last November, and is providing vital training and education, so staff can better understand frailty - and identify and assess older patients who are more vulnerable to sudden health changes.

Over 650 staff at Royal Surrey have since completed online learning. In the wider community, the training has been offered to care homes and it has also been adopted by the Primary Care Network and South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Consultant Dr James Adams told us:

“Our patients, their carers and families, our teams and our system leaders are all massively grateful for this donation.

This was intended to improve older people’s care and we cannot think of a better legacy for it’s use than establishing an academy that will lead to long lasting effective improvements for both staff looking after older people, but also our patients and their advocates.”

We are grateful to Reverend Joy Todd for leaving the gift to improve care for older people.

If you’re considering leaving a gift in your Will to Royal Surrey Charity please see page 5 for contact details.

Pictured right: Dr Rhys Watkins with his Frailty Champions certificate.

Resources help reduce anxiety for patients with learning disabilities

Resources – including colouring books, colouring pens and pencils, activity books, puzzles and sensory toys –have recently been funded to help distract and relax patients with learning disabilities and autism.

Our Adult and Learning Disabilities Nurse Specialist, Lauren Bowller, explains why these resources are needed:

“Adults with learning disabilities and/or autism often have complex health and social care needs. They are more likely to require hospital services and can face many barriers due to difficulties in communication. This can lead to anxieties for the patient, their carers and those supporting them. Activities such as colouring and puzzles can distract from those anxieties, helping them to cope with the environment around them.”

New chairs help cancer patients feel more comfortable during treatment

Our cancer treatment unit is home to 42 new chemotherapy chairs, thanks to funding from Royal Surrey Charity.

Rob Nursten from Crawley has been receiving chemotherapy treatment for colon cancer for the last five months. He can be seated for over three hours on each visit. He said:

“The drip can take some time and having these new chairs is a step-up from the previous ones. I would give them a good nine out of ten for comfort.”

Inspiring Stories

from extraordinary people

Remembering Natasha Hannah Marisa

July 1992 - 7 September 2021

Last year, on 7 September, Natasha (‘Tasha’) Marisa sadly died at just 29 years old. A supporter and fundraiser of Royal Surrey Charity, Tasha was cared for by our amazing Teenage and Young Adult Cancer service (TYAC).

Before she died, Tasha’s generous wishes were that any donations in her memory should go to TYAC, funding fun days out and experiences for other families affected by a cancer diagnosis. Her wonderful family set up a tribute in Tasha’s memory – and continue to fundraise for the charity, most recently organising a charity Memorial Cricket Tournament in recognition of Tasha’s love for cricket.

Pictured left: Tasha with her parents, Karen and Ian, her husband, Stan, her brother, Josh, and his husband, Charlee.

Tasha’s mum, Karen, told us:

“Tasha was an absolutely amazing person who made the world a brighter place. She had so many friends and touched so many people’s lives, that everyone wanted to help and make the day a special one. The team that won the tournament was called the ‘Tasha XI’ and I handpicked the players from her best cricketing friends, who were only too pleased to represent her on the day.”

Over the years, Tasha and her family have raised an astounding £27,000 to support young people with cancer, with Tasha even taking part in a Tough Mudder back in 2017, while undergoing treatment.

We are incredibly thankful to Tasha and her family and friends – your support will make a lasting impact on the lives of young adults who use the service, and their families.

Karen added:

“Tasha lived life to the full and achieved more in her 29 years than most people do in twice that time. She will be remembered for her huge smile and kind heart. As a family, we will never forget the care and support the TYAC service provided for our beautiful angel.”

“ We’ll never forget the care that was provided.“

“The six of us did everything together: we were the best of friends.”

- Karen

Cycle challenge through London

Huge thanks to Rebecca Miller and the team who took on the tough 100km Nightrider cycle.

Rebecca signed up for the challenge as a way of thanking the hospital for saving her ‘incredibly amazing’ big brother Ben’s life.

So far, the team have raised a brilliant £3,770 and thanks to match funding from Morrisons supermarket – where Ben works – that total will be doubled.

Becca said:

“Ben went in to hospital last June with a terrible toothache and we very almost lost him. Thanks to the amazing doctors, surgeons and nurses – we didn’t.”

Just one year after his treatment, Ben joined the team to take part in the gruelling challenge.

Becca continued:

“I am so proud of all of us, for completing the challenge and for raising so much money for a fantastic charity.”

Steps for St Luke’s

Alan Parks, 79, took on a sponsored 5.5 mile walk with his brother and nephews, and raised over £600.

He said:

“Last June I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and received radiotherapy treatment.

As a thank you to the centre and the staff involved, I wished to raise some funds.”

Pictured right: Alan with his family.

Rebecca with her brother, Ben, in hospital.

- Rebecca

Why I support Royal Surrey Charity: Tracey’s Story

Inspirational fundraiser, Tracey, has a whole bucket list of fundraising challenges. She tells us why she supports the charity.

I was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in February 2021.

During my treatment, I have met some wonderful staff at Royal Surrey. The work these people do is amazing and nothing will repay the incredible care I have received, but I hope raising some funds will help in some small way.

Eight months after my treatment, I jumped 15,000ft out of a plane. So far I’ve raised over £2,000 and I’m not planning on stopping there!

“We very almost lost him. Thanks to the amazing doctors, surgeons and nurses - we didn’t.”

ways to get involved this Christmas

1Support our Pledge a Present appeal

Help spread some festive joy to patients and staff…at Christmas and all year round. Thanks to you, last year we delivered gift bags filled with treats to every patient in hospital on Christmas Day. This year, we need your help once again. Will you donate £20, or whatever you can, to help brighten someone’s day?

royalsurreycharity.org.uk/gift could buy a gift bag filled with goodies for our patients. £20

We have ten new festive designs available this year, priced at £3.95 per pack of ten.

Thank you to our friends at Kelly’s Storage, for providing storage and volunteers for this year’s Pledge a Present. We are extremely grateful for your support

Order online via our shop:

royalsurreycharity org.uk/shop

on a challenge in 2023

Whether

Received a gift that isn’t quite your taste, or perhaps you already have one?

Donate it to the charity and we’ll sell it or use it as a prize to raise money for the hospital. Drop us an email at rsch.charity@nhs.net to arrange delivery –we promise we won’t tell!