Sheffield Teenage Cancer Trust Unit makeover begins

A SPECIAL turf cutting ceremony has been held at Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield to mark the start of the refurbishment of an existing Teenage Cancer Trust unit which supports young people with cancer from across South Yorkshire.

The Teenage Cancer Trust unit has been open since 2002 and treats young cancer patients aged 17 to 24 from Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley and Chesterfield.

Thanks to funds donated through Stephen Sutton’s story, the £150,000 makeover has now started and is expected to be completed by April 2015.

The newly designed Teenage Cancer Trust unit means the five ensuite bedrooms can be updated as well as two new shower rooms added. A new kitchen will also be included as well as an improved social area, quiet room and conservatory. An upgrade to the satellite TV system will also be incorporated along with new laptops and bedside audiovisual equipment, soft furnishings and mood lighting. Teenage Cancer Trust will also continue funding key specialist staff on the unit which includes a lead nurse and youth support coordinators.

Ruth Logan, Teenage Cancer Trust Lead Nurse at Weston Park Hospital Sheffield comments about the milestone: “Being cared for on a specialist unit like this makes an enormous difference to young people and their families, and we are very excited about the facilities being even better once the work here is complete.”

Heather Bowen, Regional Fundraising Manager for Teenage Cancer Trust in Yorkshire and The Humber said: “We are thrilled that the much used Teenage Cancer Trust unit here at Weston Park Hospital is about to undergo a full refurbishment, meaning that alongside our funded specialist staff, we can offer the very best support for patients and their families. Our next challenge is to now raise enough money to help us reach every single young person aged 13 to 24 who has been diagnosed with cancer in Yorkshire and The Humber.”

Each year, around 220 young people from across Yorkshire and The Humber are diagnosed with cancer. Across the UK, seven are diagnosed every day. Traditionally treated either on a children’s ward or on an adult ward often alongside elderly patients, young people can feel extremely isolated during treatment, some never meeting another young person with cancer. Being treated alongside others their own age, by experts in teenage and young adult cancer care, can make a huge difference to their experience.

However for every young person that Teenage Cancer Trust supports, there’s another they can’t and the charity relies on donations. Money raised will go towards the maintenance of the Teenage Cancer Trust Weston Park unit, fund specialist staff and support free cancer awareness sessions which are delivered in schools across Yorkshire and The Humber. To lend your support email fundraising@teenagecancertrust.org or call 020 7612 0370.

ENDS

Photo: Teenage Cancer Trust nurses and youth support worker and fundraising team celebrate refurbishment work starting

 


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