Sisters Cheryl Godfrey, Kerry Clark and family have raised an amazing £1,080 for Teenage Cancer Trust Young Person’s Unit (TCT YPU) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) to supply young people with comforts that make the unit feel like a ‘home from home’.

Teenage Cancer Trust Young Person’s Unit is a ward that is solely dedicated towards young people aged 16 to 24 who are being treated for different types of cancer. QEHB Charity is extremely grateful that, with the support and generosity of fundraisers, it is able to provide TCT YPU with ‘added extras’ such as such as DVDs, Dyson fans and Xbox games. The Charity also holds Domino’s pizza nights and ‘Breakfast Clubs’ where it provides fresh fruit in the kitchen area, a place where the unit encourages social interaction and a distraction for the patients.

Cheryl, Kerry and their family took it upon themselves to raise a fantastic £1,080 along with the support of their work colleagues and passengers from Hollywood Travel Company who donated £580. To achieve this, the company fundraised during their coach trips to London Postal Museum, Ascot Ladies Day and Southport. Cheryl and Kerry’s parents, Bill and Yvonne Jeynes, generously donated an amazing £500 by requesting a collection for their golden wedding anniversary on 22 June to support the unit and its patients. Their reason for fundraising sadly came from hearing the news that their friend Claire Brown’s son, Callum, was on the unit receiving ongoing treatment and wanted to help make a difference where possible. The family wishes continue to work with QEHB Charity to raise funds and hope all TCT YPU patients benefit and enjoy the extras that the NHS funds are unable to provide.

Callum, aged 17, has been on the TCT YPU since 9 April 2018 where he was diagnosed and is currently being treated for sarcoma. Sarcoma is an exceptionally rare form of cancer that starts in tissues like bone or muscle, Callum’s mother Claire said: “The added extras are really good and make this horrendous journey for him a little more bearable. The fan in his room is an absolute god send as his temperature is so up and down we’ve constantly got the fan on. On the days that he can eat, the pizzas can really cheer him up! And when his sister comes to visit if he’s feeling up to it they play board games together.”

Sophie Carroll, Fundraising Officer at QEHB said: “All of these added features enable us as a Charity to be there every step of the way to support young patients like Callum with cancer. With the help of people like Cheryl, Kerry and their parents that go ‘over and above’, we are able to provide a little bit of normality to their lives during such a difficult time”

For more information on Teenage Cancer Trust Young Person’s Unit or how you too can help the unit please click here for more information.

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