Grateful thanks from patient helps others on Royal Oldham Hospital ward

Mike Kershaw with staff from The Royal Oldham Hospital

An afternoon and evening of fundraising by a grateful patient has seen a donation of £4,269 delivered to the haematology day case unit at The Royal Oldham Hospital.

Mike Kershaw from Bury was diagnosed with myeloma in December 2014 and received chemotherapy on the unit housed on ward F11 at Oldham. After completing treatment at Manchester Royal Infirmary he returned back under the care of Pennine Acute Trust which runs The Royal Oldham Hospital and so wanted to support his local cancer unit.

Mike said: “I wanted to raise some money as a thank you for all the care and attention I have received and also continue to receive. My sister Ann died of leukaemia when she was 14 years old so that was an additional reason to raise money. It gives me a lot of pleasure to give something back to the service which has helped me.”

Fundraising events which included music artists provided by Jam-It Entertainments, raffles and auctions were held at Bamford Bowling Club and the Crown public house in Heywood.

Amanda Lane, Macmillan lead haematology clinical nurse specialist on ward F11 at The Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “We are extremely grateful to Mike for holding this fundraising event. The money enables us to have the resources to further enhance the care we can offer to patients.

“We are humbled that people like Mike, who despite having such a difficult time during their diagnosis and treatment feel so positive about the care they receive whilst on the unit. Whilst we continually work to provide a supportive and enhanced standard of care it is reassuring to know that we are succeeding in achieving this. We are grateful to Mike and all those who gave up their time and talents on the day and to those who went along to support.”

The money will be spent on equipment for the haematology day case unit, which will include an ultrasound device which is used to help scan veins prior to cannulation. This helps patients who have veins which are difficult to access which is common in patients receiving chemotherapy.

To donate to The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust’s charity contact the fundraising office at charity@pat.nhs.uk or ring 0161 908 4497. Donations can support individual wards or departments or go towards a specific charity appeal.