Dear All
Last January our youngest daughter Anna, who was then 2 and a half, was diagnosed with a childrens kidney cancer called Wilms Tumour.
She had a dreadful year with major surgery, eight months of intensive chemotherapy and several weeks in hospital. She recently finished her treatment and is recovering well.
Anna's treatment was given over a "joint care" program between The Royal Marsden Hospital and our local NHS hospital St George's in Tooting. The contrast between the two could not be more extreme. The Royal Marsden receives alot of additional government funding and charitable donations and is extremely comfortable and the facilities are excellent.
However it was St George's where Anna was admitted for all her surgery and every time she got infections or needed transfusions. It is hard to describe the difference but when your world has been turned upside down the last place you want to find yourself is in outdated and depressing surroundings. Whilst Anna was there for a number of weeks over the course of the year, many children are there repeatedly for several months at a time.
The Christian Blandford Fund - www.christianblandford.com was set up by a family whose son was unfortunate enough to suffer kidney cancer and subsequently bone cancer. We met Christian and his mother during Anna's treatment and through the fund raising they have organised they have been able to channel funds directly to the children's oncology ward at St George's.
This has enabled St George's to provide much needed equipment (a proper treatment room as opposed to using the play room) and basic improvements and refurbishments to the ward (such as sofa beds for parents, blinds for the windows etc) to make the children's time there more bearable. There is still much to do such as providing new toys, DVD machines that work, WFI access and improvements in the parents kitchen where at the moment there is not even a toaster.
I believe this is a very worthy cause and would be delighted if you could help by sponsoring me to run the London Marathon on the 26th April 2009.
Love and thanks Amy x
