Letters of Gratitude

St. Luke’s Cancer Centre at the RSCH

Making cancer treatment a little ‘more pleasant’

Thanks to your support and the generous donation from the KatCanDo charity, Royal Surrey Charity has funded Abdominal Compression Belts for our radiotherapy unit, significantly benefiting patients receiving radiotherapy. The belt is like a large blood pressure cuff placed around a patient’s abdomen. Once fitted, it applies gentle pressure onto the patient to make their breathing more shallow, replacing the need for patients to hold their breath. This reduces the movement of the chest while still allowing the patient to breathe throughout their radiotherapy treatment. Your generous donations help fund exceptional care: thank you!

Radiotherapy involves the use of highly targeted X-rays to treat cancerous cells. Lisa-Jane Conway, Deputy Head of Radiotherapy said: “Tumours in the chest or abdomen can be difficult to treat as they move when a patient breathes. One method to reduce this movement is to ask patients to hold their breath for 20-30 seconds a number of times per session. Unfortunately, we have found that for many patients, this is quite difficult to do.”

One of the patients who was treated at Royal Surrey for lung cancer said: “The compression belt was surprisingly comfortable to wear. It took a little time to get it to the right fit but once on, it was fine. I certainly found it far less stressful than breath holding would have been. Please pass my thanks to the charity for providing such equipment which makes a difficult time for a patient that much more pleasant.”

Another patient who was treated for lung metastasis from prostrate cancer said: “Very comfortable and infinitely easier than holding your breath. I would much prefer it to trying to breath hold for any future treatment.”

Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice

“A special thank you to our long term supporters KatCanDo. Your recent generous donation has paid for a specialist shower commode chair for patients who cannot maintain sitting balance due to their illness and assists with personal hygiene.”

Quote from St. Michael’s Hospice

” Because of your generous donation we were able buy a specialist bed and mattress. The manoeuvrability of the bed itself, the controls which allow easier repositioning and the pressure relieving aspects of the mattress, allows us to deliver a high standard of care. It is thanks to individuals and organisations like KatCanDo that we can provide specialist care for people with life threatening illnesses.”

Quote from St. Luke’s Cancer Centre

“Thank you for your kind donation which we used to buy 10 new patient trolleys for use in our day chemotherapy unit. Your support has made a real difference to patients and staff. Because of people like you we can fund extraordinary care, buy lifesaving equipment and enhance the patient experience”

Quote from Heatherwood Hospital – Frimley Health

” Prior to your donation of this machine, removal of bladder cancers and similar procedures required use of an operating theatre and a general anaesthetic. With this machine these can be carried out in an outpatient setting. As the donation was made during the Covid lockdown, many treatments were able to be carried out, as day cases, that otherwise may not have been possible due to the restrictions in place at the time.

A quote placed on Facebook by Kelly Armstrong, one of our supporters (thank you Kelly):
(Granny Kate refers to Kate Coles who started KatCanDo in 2004, but sadly lost her fight to cancer in 2006)

Hi KatCanDoers!

I just wanted to say how something you provide has made an enormous difference to one of my patients today.

My patient is nearing the end of her life and I just washed and dried her hair today to help her feel like an actual human being, she was really happy with this. Afterwards she received a visit from the complimentary therapist that you donate the money for, who gave her a lovely message. She was so grateful that when I went to tell her how wonderful it smelled, she cried. This service is wonderful, my patient felt human and pampered in an otherwise rubbish situation, Small acts of kindness make an enormous difference and I wanted to thank you sincerely. My little god children can be so proud that Granny Kate left such a wonderful legacy x

We have purchased a TEO kit for Frimley Park Hospital.
“This will allow the Department Of Colorectal Surgery to perform more operations using the transanal endoscopic operating technique to allow local excision Of early rectal cancer and benign rectal tumours thereby avoiding more extensive and debilitating surgery. It will allow us to perform two such cases on a list and means we have a back up if one system needs repair. With bowel cancer screening we are finding more small early cancers and this system aIlows us to remove benign growths and early cancers without the need for major abdominal surgery. The effort you and your team make on our behalf is extraordinary and allows us to develop the skills and techniques not readily available in many hospitals. “
Mark Gudgen, Consultant Surgeon, Department Of Colorectal Surgery, Frimley Park Hospital

KatCanDo have purchased an Oxygen Concentrator and a Pressure Relieving mattress for the Christopher’s Hospice for Children
“The recent kind donation from KatCanD0 facilitated the purchase of two new Oxygen concentrators and a pain therapy air flow mattress with a memory foam top. The staff love the new 02 concentrators – “very quiet and the delivery range is great 0.1 litre up to 6 litres” The mattress is specially designed to provide pain management and pressure relief for children and young people who are suffering from increased pain due to their condition. The best arbiters of effectiveness are the young people who use the equipment After using the mattress for the first time one aid, “The best nights sleep I have had for ages” A mum recently commented that it was “the most comfortable he as slept for a long time” and requested the mattress for her sons next visit. We are thrilled and so encouraged by he practical and sensitive intervention of this wonderful charity” Brian Gallagher from Shooting Star CHASE