Blood Fridge Friends Group

This group has been formed to help our dearly loved cancer ward Doctors and Nurses based at Heartlands Hospital Birmingham.

During late 2018 and early 2019, I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) and treated in Ward 19 Heartlands Hospital. The staff who care for me are some of the most wonderful people on earth, the care and commitment given to each and every patient, whilst working under tremendous pressure is second to none and they all do all this with a smile.

During Covid Cancer Ward 19 was closed, a makeshift daycare centre was set up in the research centre (MIDRU). Nearly 6 years later cancer patients are still being examined, diagnosed and treated in this far from ideal setting.

The good news is funds have been released by the authorities to build a new ward 19 (name to be confirmed) and a specialist day care centre will be opened in January 2026.

The bad news is there is only enough money to build a ward and day care unit fitted with basic equipment, there is no funding for specialist lifesaving equipment.

The nurses who treat us patients are having to raise funds themselves in order to buy these pieces of equipment, the very same nurses who save our lives, pay for their own car parking, pay their own yearly registration fees, all for a basic wage are now having to raise funds for equipment that is desperately needed to save their patients life - surely this cannot be right !

There are 2 options

1. We sit back and let the nurses try and raise some funds.

2. We take on the task of raising the funds required.

On my recent visit to MIDRU I had a conversation with Nurse Dawn Hambarsoonian (Haematology & Oncology Day Unit Manager). She explained that the new unit will be a Day Unit with 12 Doctors clinic rooms, 3 advanced Nurse Practitioners (ACP) rooms to review patients. A larger Unit for treatment to be administered. It will have a Quiet Room for patients that need a quiet space and a cancer support room for patients to access help eg. Financial, psychology etc. The First floor is offices, staff room and a training room.

She told me “This is so exciting, it will be a lovely bright and cheerful unit for our patients at long last”.

She went on to explain that although the unit will be fitted out there is no money for the specialist pieces of equipment that make the difference when it most matters.

I then asked her what the number 1 priority is, this is our conversation:

DH- “a blood fridge

ML – “a blood fridge? do you mean a fridge you can store blood in “

DH – “Yes”

ML – “No Problem I will pop to the retail park and pick one up now”

DH – (laughing) “Not that type of fridge, A Blood fridge is a fridge that is monitored remotely by blood bank with advanced temperature control systems to keep blood maintained at 4 degrees which is crucial for preserving blood. It is a secure system that makes sure the correct blood is taken out for the correct patient by a trained nurse.”

ML – “What happens without the fridge “?

DH – “This fridge is needed on the unit because every unit of blood a patient requires, we send a member of staff to collect one unit at a time to blood bank and if we need to administer 20 units of blood that day it means we go to blood bank 20 times causing delays for patients”.

“If we have a blood fridge, we can collect the blood units all together and storing them in the fridge saving constantly taking a member of staff and reduce patients waiting time considerably meaning less time they need to spend in the day unit and meaning our staff can spend time with patients rather than waiting around.”

ML – “how much is one of them?”

DH – “£30,000”

ML – “When do you need it for?”

DH – “January 2026”

So here is the challenge, we need to raise £30,000 by December 2025 so that we can order this blood fridge and get it delivered in January.

Blood Fridge Friends Group – currently has 132 members on a what’s app group. We are in the process of building a website, including this funding page, we have the services of a social media expert who will post updates and share pictures, stories, funds update etc.

The bank account has been opened, and we are applying to become a registered charity.

The Name of the Group & Reg Charity is - Blood Fridge Friends Group complete with our logo and B+ (Be positive). We are planning to have this logo turned in to metal pin badges to go alongside our collection tins that are now on order.

To date the fund stands at £4500.00.

And we have the following proposed and being organised by our “COBRA team”.

Every other Wednesday (next one June 18th) a light-hearted Quiz at the Bulls Head Pub, Limekiln Lane, Earlswood, Solihull B94 6BU

£2 per person, play your cards right and name the octopus.

The only quiz where ‘Winning is for losers’ 7pm start come and join us it’s fun.

The staff at The Bulls Head are running in the Solihull ½ Marathon 10/8/25.

We are organising a sponsored walk from Stratford back to the Bull (13miles) stopping at local hostelries along the way. Date TBC

Sponsored rounders tournament – full details to follow

It’s a Knock out compettion

Sponsored golf competition and Dinner

Football Cards being run

Online Shop

Football tournament

Paddle torment and presentation night

Spicy Chicken Wing Challenge

And definitely one for the diary –

SATURDAY 1ST NOVEMBER.

THE BLOOD FRIDGE HALOWEEN BALL

The venue is booked: Motor Cycle Museum

We will be selling tables of 10

We are targeting 600 people

Live entertainment (top acts)

Full details will follow ASAP – following our COBRA meeting – This is happening so get your table together early as once they are sold, they are gone

If you can help, want to get involved in any way or just kindly donate please contact me.

Call/ text me on 07722 090667.

If you want to join our what’s app group text me 07722 090667 and I will join you into the group.

Alternatively email me Martinlewis.w2c31@outlook.com

or the team at info@bffg.co.uk

Cancer effects all our lives in one form or another so let’s give our help the people who spend their lives helping us to live ours.

We are ging to raise this money BE POSSITIVE and help us to do it.

Kind Regards,

Martin