November 2004
ROCHDALE FAMILY PAY FOR ESSENTIAL NEW CANCER EQUIPMENT
A woman from Rochdale who has raised more than £20,000 for Christie’s against Cancer in memory of her mother who died from ovarian cancer visited the Christie Hospital recently to see the latest piece of equipment she has funded in action.
Michelle Evans’ latest donation of £5,000 was presented o the Christie’s immunotherapy therapy research department. Immunotherapy is the use of the body’s own immune system to help fight cancer.
The donation has been used to purchase a high-tech new microscope and video camera which will help scientists study the cells of patients with a rare condition called pseudomyxoma peritonai. The Christie is only one of two UK treatment centres for this form of cancer which is believed to originate from the ovaries. It is hoped the study will help develop better treatments. The new microscope will also help doctors identify how successful new therapy treatments currently in clinical trials are.
Michelle’s mother Joan Evans died from ovarian cancer in 1995, aged just 48. Since her death, family and friends have worked to raise money in her memory and so far have purchased equipment worth almost £20,000 for the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research at the Christie Hospital.
Fundraising events have included charity golf days, cabaret nights, car boot sales, coffee mornings and Michelle has even managed to rope friends into joining her in the Manchester Marathon and sky diving.
Michelle says: “Fundraising for research at the Christie is so important, because it is only with help and support from the public that clinicians will be able to continue their essential work. Each time our fund has bought a new piece of equipment, my dad and I have been very kindly invited to see how it is used and what a difference it makes and this of course spurs us on to continue thinking of new ways to raise cash.”
Professor Peter Stern, Head of Immunology at the Paterson Institute at the Christie Hospital, said: “We are very grateful to the Evans family for their continuing support. Their generous donation has enabled us to replace a microscope that was more than 14 years old with one of the most modern and accurate on the market. Not only will it make our work much easier, it will improve the quality of our results which has to be good news for cancer patients throughout the world.”
Michelle is pictured with her father David, receiving a demonstration of the equipment from Professor Peter Stern.
-ends-
Note to editors:
ABOUT CHRISTIE HOSPITAL:
The Christie Hospital is the largest single-site cancer treatment centre in Europe, and an international leader in cancer research and development.
The hospital is based in Manchester, but because of its specialist nature, patients travel to the Christie from all over the North West and beyond. Around 150,000 out patients and 15,000 in patients are treated each year including children and adults and medical staff share their expertise with colleagues in hospitals across the region.
As one of the leading cancer research centres, Christie’s plays a central role in looking for new ways to diagnose and cure cancer. There are more than 13 research teams actively working on different aspects of this challenge in the research laboratories, many working in close partnership with patients on a daily basis.
In addition to NHS funding, the Christie receives a significant amount of money every year through it's charity Christie's against Cancer. The money raised is used both to fund cancer research and to contribute to the provision of specialist medical equipment and extras that give the hospital its special comforting and therapeutic atmosphere for patients undergoing treatment for all types of cancer.
For more information, please contact:
Louise Tansey
Communications Officer
Appeals Office,
Christie Hospital NHS Trust,
Wilmslow Road,
Withington,
Manchester, M20 4BX.
Tel: 0161 446 3613
http://www.christies.org/
