RAISING MONEY FOR THE RUTH MYLES UNIT,ST GEORGE'S HOSPITAL, TOOTING

                                                                                                                  
The Ruth Myles unit is a 13-bed in-patient unit and day care centre which treats and cares for Haematology patients, and patients living with Haemato-oncology conditions such as haemophilia, sickle cell anaemia, and those requiring bone marrow transplantations

I am Chris Lewis, 55 years old, and I was diagnosed with stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma at St Georges Hospital, Tooting early in July 2007.  Following 3 months of chemotherapy, I was told that I would have to have a bone marrow transplant due to the seriousness of the disease

Fortunately, a donor was found from the Anthony Nolan Trust, and I was admitted to the Ruth Myles Unit in early December to have my transplant.  After 4 weeks of intensive treatment and undergoing the transplant I was allowed home to spend the next few months building up my immune system.  I am still visiting the day unit regularly for check ups, but thanks to the help and care of the staff I am starting to enjoy my extended life.

This experience has totally changed my life, and I would like to help others unfortunate enough to need similar treatment, in whatever way possible .  All money raised will initially go towards funding a much-needed "COBE Apheresis Machine" for the Unit.  This piece of equipment which is used to collect stem cells for bone marrow transplants, was integral in the treatment I received on the unit.  The unit would hugely benefit from the updated model which patients report is much more comfortable to bear during the treatment and speeds up the process considerably.  NHS funds provide one machine, having a second would mean that that more patients can be treated, with the experience being much quicker and more bearable.

 

On the 12th of April 2011, Sue and I were joined by David Pike, his parents and sister Catherine to view the Aphererisis Machine that was presented to The Ruth Myles Unit.

 

David's brother Anthony Lake-Johns was admitted to the Ruth Myles Unit in May 2009 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. He spent five weeks on the ward receiving treatment before being discharged as a day-care patient. He was reported to be in remission by the middle of his second phase of chemotherapy and was due to have a bone marrow transplant in the unit that September. Unfortunately he caught swine flu and after a battle in Cardiothoracic Intensive Care, he passed away in August 2009, aged just 32.

 

During his time in hospital, Tony decided he wanted to give something back for the care and treatment he had received. He set himself the ambitious target of undertaking the 3 Peaks Challenge and raising as much money as possible at the same time. David took up this challenge on Tony's behalf and he, Ross Lovell, Chris Grundberg and 26 other friends took part in the 3 Peaks Challenge in Tony's memory in April 2010. Their original target was £20,000 which they smashed completely, raising in excess of £40,000.

 

Along with my wife, Sue, and our friends and family, we will be fundraising for more pieces of equipment. Our next project is a set of Bionic Therapy Chairs for the unit,which will replace the very dated and uncomfortable ones currently there.Patients have to sit in these chairs for hours having their treatment, so this will make a big difference to their comfort.  WATCH THIS PAGE FOR REGULAR UPDATES OF FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES!!

I would like to thank Macmillan Cancer Support for the help they have given me with volunteering opportunities and retraining. Due to their continued support I am able to begin my new life, helping people unfortunate enough to be affected by cancer.

A Tribute to Diana Simpson
“Diana and I were both unfortunate enough to require treatment at St Georges Hospital, but fortunate enough to meet during that time.
We both had a bone marrow transplant on the Ruth Myles Unit in late 2007 and became friends from then on.

There were many ups and downs on our journey, but we had become soul mates, encouraging each other through the bad times and enjoying each others good times.
                                     
I consider myself very privileged to have met Diana and even though it was for a relatively short time she had a big impact on me. She was so unselfish and caring. Despite her own problems she spent so much time helping others.
             
Thank you for being you Diana, the world will be much poorer without you.”

 

UPCOMING FUNDRAISING EVENTS: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My thanks to customers and staff at Waitrose Sanderstead for their very generous donation of £786, which was raised from 'Community Matters' during December 2012.

 

 

With grateful thanks to Jalal and The Panahar team for £200 raised at The Jersey Boys Evening ( March 2012) Great work from Andy and Sarah Jayne

 

 

Many thanks  to Shila Patel and the Matched Fundraising Scheme at Barclays, for an additional £750 raised from the Curry Night at The Panahar (Oct 2011)

 

With thanks again to Sue Samuel and the Matched Fundraising Scheme at Barclays for an additional £750 raised from the Curry Night at The Panahar (Nov 2010)

 

 

 

 

A massive thank you to Waitrose Sanderstead,both staff and customers,who through their fundraising scheme Community Matters, donated £303. Thank you to everyone who supported us with their tokens!

  

 

 

With thanks to Sue Tiley and the Matched Fundraising Scheme at Barclays for an additional £750 raised from the Curry Night at The Panahar (Nov 2009)

 

   Thank you to the guys at Renault Orpington They have kindly donated an additional £100!

A big thank you to Tracey & Chris at The Red Lion Pub, Bletchingley - Thanks to the generosity of them, their staff and customers an extra £170 has been donated to the cause!

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Fundraising Events so far…

Charity Curry Night - 31 October 2011

For the FORTH annual fundraising evening at The Panahar, we had 95 guests and were entertained by a fantastic string quartet.Jalal and his team surpassed even their incredibly high standards with the fantastic selection of food, and top class service.The evening raised a total of £2200.An incredible achievement in these tough economic times! Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

 

 

 

Charity Curry Night – 1 November 2010

 The third annual fundraising evening at the Panahar restaurant was the best so far! Great fun and food was had by the 100+ guests. We were joined by John Salako, the ex England and Crystal Palace footballer, who helped take the fundraising for the evening to just over £2500. A very big thank you to all concerned who made the evening a fantastic success.

 

 

London 10k July 2010

  

Well done to Lyes Fridi and Simon Cunningham, who ran the London 10k in July. They both ran great times, around 50mins,and raised a combined total in excess of £500. Brilliant stuff you guys!!

  

Boogie Night  8 May 2010

 

 

 

More than 130 people danced the night away to ‘The Cattch’. A fabulous evening was had by all. There was  a raffle with some fantastic prizes donated by local business’s. Due to everyone’s generosity just over £1800 was raised. A fantastic effort,and thank you to everyone involved!!

 

  

West Wickham F. C. Fun Day - 17th April 2010

 

 

 On Saturday 17th April more than 60 boys and girls from West Wickham Football Club took part in a charity fun run to raise money for Chris Lewis’ chosen charity – the Ruth Myles Unit at St George’s Hospital.

 

Prior to the run each boy and girl had been given a tube of smarties which they could eat and then fill with change.
 
The weather on the day couldn't have been better and the morning itself was a fantastic success. In addition to the fun run there was a wide range of stalls including a raffle, a cakes and sweets stall and of course the classic football tombola! The stalls proved to be very popular and helped to push the total raised that little bit higher.
 
The Club is delighted to announce that over £700 has been raised so far with a little bit more still to come in....
 
A big thank you must go to those who took part on the day, those who came along to support and especially to those who gave up their time to help at the event. Chris extends his thanks to Richard Thorn for organising the event, Sainsbury's and Sun Paper & Board Ltd for their generous support too.
 
Roll on next year!

Charity Curry Night – 3 November 2009

 

Yet another very successful curry night was enjoyed by friends and family during the private dinner at The Panahar, Indian restaurant at Hamsey Green, Surrey. The food, the service, the entertainment and the company were all top notch, and thanks to all those involved we have raised £1380 so far with money still coming in!!

 

 

Henley Half Marathon

 On the 11 October Aimee Smith successfully ran the Henley Half Marathon on behalf of St George’s. She has raised a brilliant £541 for the cause – thank you Aimee and well done!!

Adidas Women's 5K Challenge
Sara Samuel and Hilary Williams took part in the Adidas Women’s Challenge 2009 on 6th Sept. They raised £550 - a fantastic achievement. Thanks to the girls and those who supported us.

London 10k Run
On 12th July Simon Cunningham, Nick MacDonald, his boys James and Adam and I ran in the London10K. We managed to raise an amazing £1200!!!

3 Peak Challenge
On the weekend of 20th June my friend Martin and 6 of his mates conquered the Three Peak Challenge, which involved trekking Ben Nevis (4406ft), Scafell Pike (3206ft) and Snowdon (3560ft), the three tallest peaks in the UK, all within 24 hours.

The courageous 7 trekkers were:- Martin McFadden snr., Martin McFadden jnr., Chris McFadden, Sean McCarthy, Martin Farrell, Bobby Jansen and Ray Patterson. Together they have raised over £2500!

 

Louisa Williams- sponsored swim 30th March 2009
Louisa, a Respiratory Physiologist atSt George’sHospitalsuccessfully embarked on a two mile sponsored swim in support of Chris’ fundraising initiative. It took her 2 hours to complete and managed to raise £129.08 with donations still coming in. Well done Louisa!! Thank you and to all those who supported you!!
 

Charity Curry Night at Panahar – 3rd November 2008
80 people enjoyed a private dinner at The Panahar. There was entertainment, fantastic food and good company, and fun had by all. In return for filling the restaurant, the management made an extremely generous donation to the charity of £800, making the total money raised on this evening a brilliant £945! 

 

Simon’s 10K run – October 2008
Simon successfully finished his 10k run in Croydon with 51 minutes, plus raising an extra £258!
 

Summer Fundraising – The Barbeque 24th August 2008.
Around 60 people enjoyed the good weather (possibly the only sunny day in August 2008!), good food and great company. With Sue and my lads at the helm and the support of our friends, the afternoon was an unqualified success!!

Due to everyone’s generosity, we raised just short of £750 for the afternoon, a fantastic effort!! Thank you all for your support.

  

Sue completes 10k run – 6th July 2008
Sue was amongst 25,000 runners in the London10k last year.  She finished in a fantastic time of 65mins! Over £2000 was raised - An astonishing effort from all concerned.        

Thanks very much for your donation, sponsorship and support,
Chris & Sue Lewis

(Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me:St George's Hospital Charity gets your money faster and, if you’re a taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.)