You may recall that we recently announced the allocation of our 10th Mobile Chemotherapy Unit to West Suffolk. This will be the very first of our newly designed next generation Mobile Chemotherapy Units to go into operation, and will launch on Thursday 24th March 2016, at West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds.
Our 10th MCU is Named ‘Frisbey’…
The Unit will be operated by West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and will be named ‘Frisbey’, in memory of Hope for Tomorrow Patron, Martin Brundles’s grandmother, who sadly passed away from cancer. Martin will be with us on the day, and as part of the ceremony, will cut the ribbon and officially launch the Unit.
Martin said: “I’m a very enthusiastic supporter of Hope for Tomorrow. It’s an efficient Charity which provides and maintains a most important medical facility. The Mobile Chemotherapy Units are superb, and fulfil a very real and growing need in the community. Given that the concept can be replicated across the nation when funding is available, as a Norfolk boy I eagerly anticipated the day when Christine would ask me to launch a Unit in East Anglia. That it will also be called ‘Frisbey’, the nickname of my grandmother who died of cancer, is a special bonus for my family.”
Our Partnership With The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons & Support From The Mark Benevolent Fund…
Over the next 4 years, and to mark their 150th Anniversary in 2018, The Mark Benevolent Fund will fund the capital costs of a number of new Units, which the Charity will launch across the country, with the West Suffolk Unit being the third of these (Lincolnshire being the first, with Cornwall the second).
Dr John Wright of the Mark Benevolent Fund said: “The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons is proud to support, through the medium of the Mark Benevolent Fund, the charity Hope for Tomorrow, which has commenced one of the most innovative and important initiatives in Health Care delivery in recent times.”
Provision of a Nurses Support Vehicle & The Unit’s Planned Treatment Locations…
As usual, along with this Unit, we will also be providing the Oncology team at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust with a Nurses Support Vehicle, which will allow the nursing team to travel to and from the daily treatment locations of the Unit, along with any additional equipment that’s required.
The Unit will initially visit Thetford to give treatments, with further locations to be added as the service develops.
A Word From Our Founder…
Christine Mills, Founder and Trustee of Hope for Tomorrow, said: “In 2007 Hope for Tomorrow launched the world’s first Mobile Chemotherapy Unit in a unique partnership with the NHS. So we’re thrilled to be able to launch our tenth Unit with West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. This is a significant milestone for our Charity and is a great step forward towards our dream to have a Unit in every single county. We’d like to thank Martin Brundle, who has been hugely supportive of us as our Patron, and it’s our pleasure to name this Unit after his grandmother.”
Our New Partners at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust…
Karen McKinnon, Cancer Services Manager at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Hope for Tomorrow has so generously donated this Mobile Chemotherapy Unit to the hospital for the benefit of the West Suffolk community.
This Unit will enable us to take care closer to home for thousands of patients every year, in turn reducing the need for them to travel to hospital for treatment. This will make a real difference when patients are feeling tired or unwell, as it will mean they can complete their chemotherapy and get back home much more quickly. ”
Thank You!
We would like to say a very big thank you to The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons and the Mark Benevolent Fund for their continued support of our MCU project, and to all those involved in bringing the launch at West Suffolk – we hope that the sun will ‘join us’ on the day for the celebrations!
