It's been just over a year since I went on my first trip to Dakar, Africa to help & support young doctors in learning the Art of Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) with Dr Graham Watson with MediTech Trust Charity.

Needless to say it was a life changing experience which made me realise the value of having such a good health system, even with all of the flaws of the NHS. I learnt a huge amount, witnessed some incredible cases and made friends with some fantastic people. It was inspiring to see how much each doctor respected each other and worked together in a team environment, no matter what happened everyone remained calm, even when there were power cuts which plunged the theatre into darkness mid-operation.

One thing I noticed was the lack of lead gowns which were available for the staff. We only had 3 lead gowns for theatre. Due to this I have been focused on setting up a collection for retired lead gowns across the UK which could be re-used.

Since April 2017, Dr Watson has returned to Africa on a number of trips with MediTech charity, but will be returning again in September.

Unfortunately I wont be joining him this time so in order to help, Thomas & I have signed up to do the 10k Virgin London run on the 15th of July for MediTech Trust Charity in order to raise money so that this valuable work can continue.

If you can contribute anything, big or small, we know it would make a big difference & would greatly appreciate it,

Sorcha & Thomas Xx