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Colleagues at Galleria took part in the Great Manchester Swim in order to raise funds for the Young Oncology Unit at The Christie, Manchester in memory of a former colleague, Andrew Moore who passed away on 12th October 2012 aged 20.

Andrew came to Galleria on a twelve month Student Placement from Manchester Metropolitan University where he was studying for a degree in Computer Games Technology.  A very likeable young man with a great sense of humour, Andrew very quickly settled into our team and enjoyed working on some challenging development work.  It was very clear from the development review meetings that were held on a weekly basis that Andrew was a very dedicated person and someone who would have a good career ahead of him writing software.

There is currently a good deal of uncertainty around the cause of Andrew’s death.  Andrew had to make several visits to the hospital over a number of weeks without any of the doctors being able to diagnose the cause of his illness and this ultimately resulted in Andrew passing away.

In Andrew’s memory, we are donating to the charity that was special to Andrew: The Young Oncology Unit (YOU) at The Christie.  In 2009, Andrew’s twin brother Adrian was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and began treatment at the YOU.  The centre provides care and treatment for teenagers and young adults up to 24 years of age, with cancer and related illnesses.  It is just one of the UK's Teenage Cancer Trust Units, providing specialist care and facilities for their age group.  All patients being treated by the Young Oncology Unit are often invited on activity open days, both inside and outside of the hospital.  The unit employs their own activity coordinator who arranges for patients, siblings and families to take a break from their treatment and spend time away from the ward. The outings and social activities are many and varied. e.g. meals out at a restaurant, bowling, laser quest, going to concerts, cinema, theatre, weekend's away, football matches, etc.  Adrian and Andrew often took part in these events and gained a lot of benefit from taking part.

The Y.O.U. Activity Fund is funded mainly by donations and fund raising.

The treatment is long, hard and gruelling, and in the case of teenagers like Adrian, lasts for three and a half years.
The side effects are many and debilitating and it is not just the patient who suffers, but also the other family members who provide support.
Andrew was very supportive of Adrian throughout his treatment regimen.  I am pleased to inform that Adrian is now in remission, although remains under the care of the Christie.

Thank you for all your support and for helping us smash our target!

Zoe Hargrave, Ian Platt, Alex Probyn, Kristie Davison, Rob Cooper, Darren Smallwood and Scott Curtiss make up the team.  Details of the event can be found at http://www.greatswim.org/Events/Great-Manchester-Swim/Default.aspx

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If you wish to donate, please do not hesitate!  This page will continue to receive donations for the next couple of months.  Thank you again.