LESLEY’S HALF MARATHON CHALLENGE
After meeting our longstanding member Bev Walmsley at the Parkrun in Brueton Park, Lesley Smith has been inspired to raise funds for Breast Friends Solihull. She will be running the Solihull Half Marathon on 7th April and has set up a Just Giving Page directly to Breast Friends. If you would like to support Lesley you can find her fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lesley-smith73
ROBIN HOOD GOLF CLUB RAISE £5830 FOR BREAST FRIENDS
In November, we received a cheque for the fantastic amount of
£5830. This was raised by Sue Butler at Robin Hood Golf Club
who had chosen Breast Friends as her charity during her captaincy.
The club had events all year to raise this amazing amount for us.
We were thrilled that this money was donated to us as it all helps to
provide practical help to ladies diagnosed with breast cancer. A
huge thank you to Sue and Robin Hood Golf Club!
GREAT NORTH RUN FUNDRAISER
On Sunday 9th September 2018, Elizabeth March completed The Great North Run in memory of her friend Sue Strutt, a very active member of Breast Friends Solihull who sadly passed away last year. It was a real challenge for Eizabeth as despite 2 surgeries and many more interventions she continues to suffer from on-going and very painful spinal issues on a daily basis for which she has to wear a morphine patch. In addition she also has various other painful arthritic issues.
Elizabeth and her friend Alison, who also completed the run, came along to our Breast Friends meeting to show their medals and present our Chair Debbie Douglas with a donation of £482 which will go towards the purchase of a further chemotherapy chair for the Solihull Oncology Unit. Thank you so much ladies. Sue would be very proud!
CHARITY WING WALK FOR BREAST FRIENDS
On 2nd August 2018 our brave Chairperson Debbie Douglas realised a long term ambition of completing a wing walk to raise funds for our group. She was harnessed to the wings of a 1934 Steining bi-plane and took off with her family watching from the ground. The whole flight lasted just over 10 minutes with the pilot dropping down and then soaring back up and almost tipping the plane over. To date Debbie has raised in excess of £4200 with sponsorship still coming in. She would like to thank everyone who has supported her and in particular her colleagues at the Unite Union and Rolls-Royce. Well done Debbie on your fantastic achievement!
SOLIHULL HOSPITAL CHEMOTHERAPY UNIT
Wendy Scriven, Lorraine Ashford, Chris Bates and Sandy Worth from Breast Friends Solihull Committee were delighted to present a cheque for £10,000 to Samantha Howell from the Solihull Hospital Charity to support the newly opened chemotherapy unit at Solihull Hospital.
TOP SALES RAISE £4585 FOR BREAST FRIENDS SOLIHULL
Sharon Pitkeathly came along to our November meeting to present us with a cheque for £4585 which she has raised through holding monthly table top sales for several years. This is a fantastic achievement and we would like to pass on our sincere thanks to Sharon for all her hard work supporting our charity.
BREAST FRIENDS SOLIHULL DONATES £20,000 TO THE NEW BREAST CANCER HAVEN IN OLTON
Breast Friends Solihull has extended the vital support it offers to women affected by breast cancer by making a donation of £20,000 to Breast Cancer Haven’s new centre opening in Solihull in October. This donation is the largest the centre has received to date and will pay to complete the refurbishment of the kitchen in the new Haven.
BREAST FRIENDS SOLIHULL BUYS NEW ULTRASOUND SCANNER FOR LOCAL HOSPITAL
FUN IN THE PARK
Breast Friends had a stall at the Fun in the Park event on Sunday 17th September organised by Solihull Soroptomists. It was a lovely family event and the sun shone for most of the day. We would like to say a big thank you to the Soroptomists for all their hard work in puttiing on the event and also for nominating Breast Friends Solihull as one of their chosen charities for 2017.
ACCUVEIN MACHINES NOW IN USE AT HEARTLANDS HOSPITAL
Our Treasurer Diane Webb recently went along to Heartlands Hospital to see the Accuvein machines we purchased for the hospital in use. They will be a great help when taking blood from patients and mean less discomfort for ladies whose veins have already been damaged through chemotherapy.
POST MASTECTOMY KITS FOR SOLIHULL HOSPITAL
Breast Friends have agreed to purchase 60 post mastectomy kits to give to all ladies having a mastectomy as their surgical choice at Solihull Hospital. This will comprise of a soft front fastening bra, softee and drain bag. The bag will be endorsed with the BF logo and will also include a Breast Friends bookmark and pen so that patients can contact us should they need our support.
We have also agreed to provide a swim form to anyone who requests a swim prosthesis. Solihull hospital tells us they generally get approx 30 patients per year who purchase the swim form but we would like to open this up to patients not in a position to purchase.
BREAST FRI
ENDS SOLIHULL FUND THE PURCHASE OF 3 ACCUVEIN MACHINES FOR SOLIHULL AND HEARTLANDS HOSPITALS
Accuvein machines help to locate hard to find veins in patients undergoing chemotherapy by vein illumination. This breakthrough device allows health care professionals to see a map of peripheral veins on the skin’s surface with the goal of improving venipuncture, the most commonly performed invasive medical procedure. We believe these purchases funded by Breast Friends Solihull should take the trauma out of blood tests for many of our ladies with hard to find veins.
COFFEE MACHINE AT HEARTLANDS HOSPITAL
Over the past year patients and families attending Ward 19, the specialist cancer unit at Heartlands Hospital, have been able to benefit from hot drinks from the new vending machine courtesy of Breast Friends Solihull.
Our Treasurer Diane Webb recently called by to get a progress report and the staff and patients were clearly delighted with their new facility. Breast Friends have committed to lease the machine for five years at a cost of £6000 and this will supply free tea, coffee and chocolate to patients over that period.
DONATION FROM IAN AND SUE BENTLEY
On 29th Nov. Ian Bentley celebrated his 40th birthday with family and friends and in the process of having a great party raised £800 for charity!.
Ian chose to donate to 2 charities close to his heart The Meningitis Trust and Breast Friends Solihull. Ian was taken seriously ill with meningitis at the beginning of last year and spent time in intensive care and then had a long recovery period. Whilst Ian was going through his illness his wife Sue was undergoing chemotherapy treatment after a recurrence of her breast cancer.
Ian passed on his thanks to Breast Friends Solihull for all of the help and support they have given to Sue at the time and for their help over the last few years.
Ian and Sue also want to thank family and friends for their support and generosity in raising these funds,
LYMPHOEDEMA SERVICES
There is now a generic referral form for lymphoedema which the Breast care nurse completes and sends to the Central Referral Portal at Moseley Hall Hospital. The clinic appointments are then allocated dependent on the patient’s GP location, please see details:-
South Birmingham – clinic at Moseley Hall Hospital
Central and West B’ham – clinic at Summerfield Primary Care Centre, Winson Green
East and North B’ham – clinics at Perry Tree Centre, Kingstanding or Ann Marie Howes Centre, Sheldon.
Solihull ladies will be seen at the Anne Marie Howes centre, 339 Sheldon Heath Rd, Garretts Green, Birmingham, West Midlands B26 2DS.
Solihull Hospital’s expert practitioner is Julie Cuneen.
BEV COMPLETES HALF MARATHON
Well done to our Programme Secretary Bev Walmsley and her husband Paul who recently completed a half marathon and raised £410 for Breast Friends.
LAUREN MAKES AN EXHIBITION OF OUR LADIES
Textile artist Lauren McManus created an exhibition on how cancer affects people’s lives following her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis. She came along to one of our meetings to take photos of our members which will be used to make postcards and badges. All money raised from the sale of these items will be donated to Macmillan.
BREAST FRIENDS SOLIHULL BUYS EQUIPMENT FOR LOCAL HOSPITALS
Breast Friends were delighted to present Solihull Hospital Breast Care Nurses with a new Nipple Tattoo Machine which will mean ladies can now be treated at Solihull rather than having to join a waiting list for Good Hope Hospital.
Breast Friends Solihull Buys a Second Blood Pressure Pump For Heartlands Hospital.
We are very pleased to be able to donate another Blood Pressure Pump to Heartlands Hospital Ward 19. It’s a Philips Assure Signs VS3 with Rollstand and accessories. Staff at the Hospital are delighted to receive this extra equipment from Breast Friends Solihull..