Masonic Charity brings generous donation to fight cancer at QEHB
Representatives from the Masonic Provincial Grand Conclave of Worcestershire have raised a fantastic £1,000 for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity to fund CyberKnife at the hospital.
David Holloway, Jonathan Swift and Christopher Farrer from the Conclave came to present the cheque to Charity Chief Executive Mike Hammond at Fisher House, the ‘home away from home’ for military patients and their families at the hospital.
The money donated by the Conclave will help the Charity to continue to fund CyberKnife, the robotic system which uses high doses of radiation to sub-millimetre accuracy to treat cancers around the body, but especially in the head and neck.
CyberKnife has the ability to track the tumours position throughout the treatment and is able to treat small, well-defined tumours located in traditionally difficult-to-reach parts of the body which if damaged would have devastating effects.
QEHB Charity brought the £3.5 million, state-of-the-art CyberKnife machine to the hospital in 2013, funded entirely by generous donations to the Charity. Since then, the machine has treated nearly 1,000 patients, many of whom would not have had any other treatment options if it were not for CyberKnife.
R Wy Bro David Holloway, Provincial Grand Supreme Ruler, said: “I am delighted to play a part in continuing to fund this incredible, life-changing machine that has revolutionised cancer treatment here at QEHB.
“As a Provincial Grand Conclave, we are committed to making a difference to important causes in our local area, and CyberKnife is a fantastic example of a project that has been supported by many local organisations but whose impacts are felt across the country.”
Mike Hammond, Chief Executive of QEHB Charity said: “The Charity’s thanks go to the Provincial Grand Conclave of Worcestershire for their continued support for CyberKnife.
“The Charity was able to bring CyberKnife to the hospital thanks to generous donations and the support that the Charity continues to receive will enable us to continue to fund this revolutionary piece of equipment.”
To learn more about how the Charity supports patients with cancer and research into the disease, visit qehb.org/qehbcancer
