Preview held of Paediatric Radiotherapy department given The VIP Treatment
On Wednesday 22 June, major donors to QEHB Charity’s The VIP Treatment appeal were invited to attend a VIP supporter preview evening in the newly-refurbished Paediatric Radiotherapy department, to see first-hand the difference their fundraising and donations have made.
The VIP Treatment appeal was launched in 2014 to support young cancer patients. Although the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is an adult hospital, every year hundreds of children from across the region must receive their radiotherapy treatment here. The treatment requires radiotherapy to be delivered on five days out of every week for six weeks. This is incredibly gruelling for people of any age, but what makes it harder for the young patients coming to the QE for radiotherapy is that they have to be anaesthetised to ensure they do not move during treatment. This means that they often wake up disorientated and frightened in the unfamiliar environment of an adult hospital.
Thanks to the generous donations of The VIP Treatment supporters, QEHB Charity is able to provide an individual ‘comfort quilt’ for every child to keep with them during treatment, as well as a toy to reward each child for their bravery when their course of treatment is finished.
The preview evening, however, was intended to showcase an extensive refurbishment of the Paediatric Radiotherapy department itself, for which an amazing £250,000 was raised thanks to the generous donations of the appeal’s supporters. The refurbishment included a new recovery room, to provide a calming and consistent environment for children to come round from their anaesthetic in as previously there had been no dedicated room for this purpose; a brand new parents consultation room to enable staff and parents to have potentially emotional conversations away from the public area; a trolley bay, with privacy curtains, where patients and their families can wait before or after treatment; and a refurbished waiting area and play area with toys, a television, new seating, and video game units.
In attendance on the evening were representatives from a range of organisations who made major contributions to the appeal, including Help Harry Help Others, the Sikh Arts and Cultural Association (SACA), Wooden Spoon Children’s Charity, Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire, Lloyds Banking Group and Reaside Academy. Other generous supporters include Birmingham Irish Cycle Appeal who were unable to attend on the evening.
Mike Hammond, Chief Executive of QEHB Charity, said: “I want to thank everyone who made a contribution to this incredibly worthy appeal for their invaluable help in creating a child-friendly, colourful, welcoming environment that we hope will go some way towards improving the experience of undergoing radiotherapy treatment for our young patients.”
The VIP Treatment Appeal will continue to provide toys and games for the radiotherapy department, and toys and quilts for patients. To make a donation please go to qehb.org/donate
(The new-look waiting area)
(Video game units in the new waiting area)
(The new trolley bay)
(The new recovery room)
