Twenty five of us here at MediaCom North are running, walking, crawling (delete as appropriate) this year’s BUPA Great Manchester 10k. Many of you will be aware, last year the daughter of Declan McKenna, one of our Managing Partners was diagnosed with leukaemia. As such we have decided to raise funds for the Geoff Thomas Foundation, whose aim is to fund blood cancer nurses who will help get new drugs from the scientist’s lab bench to the patient’s hospital bedside.
In 2003, Geoff Thomas, the ex-England and Crystal Palace footballer was diagnosed with leukaemia. A bone marrow transplant from his sister saved his life. Other blood cancer sufferers aren’t so lucky. They need new state-of-the-art drugs to save their lives and that’s where the Geoff Thomas Foundation is trying to help.
Billions of pounds have been spent on medical research and scientists have invented a host of potentially life-saving therapies. But getting them to the patients who need them is a slow process. The Foundation wants to help speed up the delivery of these new drugs to the patients who need them.
We don’t want these new drugs to sit on a shelf in a laboratory. If you invented the computer – you wouldn’t keep it in the warehouse. If you created the jumbo jet – you wouldn’t keep it in the aircraft hangar.
All that is needed to get these new drugs to patients are NURSES. GTF’s plan is to fund blood cancer nurses at six hospitals across Britain. They will also campaign to raise money to fund an integrated network of leukaemia drugs trials at six world class centres - in Oxford, Cambridge, Barts London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester.
The GTF wants to help save lives and increase the availability of life-changing drug therapies for blood cancer. We have the magic bullets to zap leukaemia – they’re just not hitting their target yet.
So, please sponsor us, as little as £1 will help.
Thank you for your help, it is appreciated more than you will know.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Geoff Thomas Foundation gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
So please sponsor us!
