Mid Cheshire Hospitals (MCH) Charity’s Cancer Services Fund supports people living with a cancer diagnosis in Cheshire through services, equipment, and additional comforts.
High tech equipment funded by the charity helps with cancer detection and improves the experience of patients undergoing treatment. Equipment recently funded by the charity includes scalp cooling caps for the Chemotherapy Unit at Leighton Hospital, which increase the likelihood that patients will retain their hair when undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
MCH Charity’s Breast Care Fund also recently funded a state-of-the-art Tomosynthesis (Tomo) digital X-ray mammogram technology kit for the Breast Care Unit at Leighton Hospital. This £58,000 machine creates clear, 3-dimensional images of the breast, which helps early cancers and difficult to detect lesions to be identified.
Services funded by the charity include a support group for local people living with a lung cancer diagnosis, a hypnotherapy service, and counselling supervision.
Members of the lung cancer support group comment that the opportunity to share experiences with other people living with cancer, including long-term survivors, provides a lot of reassurance. In addition, the group offers support from Lung Cancer Specialist Nurses, who support group members from their initial diagnosis, through their treatment. One group member said: “There is always a sense of fun and a love of life amongst the members; it is a very welcome change from the serious & often sombre atmosphere in hospital waiting areas.”
MCH Charity also funds supervision payments for volunteer councillors, who generously provide a free counselling service for patients undergoing cancer treatment – an invaluable service for people experiencing the emotions that come with the life-changing experience of a cancer diagnosis.
In addition, people undergoing cancer treatment who have needle phobias, hospital related phobias and anxiety are also offered hypnotherapy – a service funded by MCH Charity which currently supports over 200 patients per year.
The services and equipment provided through the Cancer Services Fund alone require at least £25,000 worth of funding per year, and the charity relies on donations to the fund to continue providing this support to people undergoing cancer treatment.
The charity is also supported by fundraisers who regularly run events to raise money. Kim Smith, Radio Northwich presenter, is currently working towards a fundraising goal of £50,000 for the Breast Care Fund – after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. Kim said: “I am fundraising for the Breast Unit at Leighton Hospital; they are kindness personified and passionate about Women’s health.”
Emma Robertson, MCH Charity Manager, said: “We are so grateful for the support we receive from patients, their loved ones and the wider community who donate to, and fundraise for our Cancer Services Fund.
Emma continued: We use this money to make a real difference to local people at what can be a very difficult time in their lives. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to enable us to continue to support the cancer team to make care and experience better for their patients, so, if you can help in any way, please get in touch with the charity team.”
Saturday 4th February is World Cancer Day. If you would like to donate to the Cancer Services Fund, you can do so by clicking here. You can watch a short film about the Cancer Services Fund below: