Newcastle Hospitals Charity is very proud to have funded 3 new screening trailers for the Breast Screening Service at Newcastle Hospitals. These trailers will be utilised in the community, allowing people who live further away from the hospitals to access convenient and potentially life-saving screening.
As part of the trailer designs, they needed names and we asked our supporters and Newcastle Hospitals staff members to submit names that mean something to them. We were inundated with incredible stories, and have now selected the three names for our trailers:
‘Lesley’ – Nominated by many friends and colleagues at the North East Ambulance Service, plus partner Craig
A staff member at the ambulance service and Medical Sgt in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers reserves, Lesley was a tireless campaigner – both helping other women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and in raising funds for defibrillators in the community around Wearside.
Craig said: “I am submitting this name because Lesley was my partner and after fourth time of finding out she had breast cancer unfortunately it had spread and Lesley was stage 4 and the cancer had taken control. Lesley sadly passed away on the 5th May 2022. Lesley is very well known. She worked for the ambulance service as a full-time job and also worked for the British army as a med sergeant with the reservists of 5 Fusiliers. Lesley had dedicated her final year of her life to save others with fund raising for defibrillators in another round Washington and Sunderland. Lesley managed to get 8 defibrillators out in to the community before she passed away and is still managing to keep her legacy going with funds for another four defibrillators to be released into the community.“
‘Anne’ – Nominated by daughter Carol, who works as a staff nurse in the Emergency Admissions Suite in the Freeman Hospital for Urology/ Renal Services
Carol said: “This is the name of my mother who passed away more than 10 years ago after battling with breast cancer for many years. She initially had a lumpectomy and chemotherapy but unfortunately the cancer spread to her lungs. She lost her hair after chemo but hated wearing a wig, so consequently used to go out without a wig.”
‘Joan’ – Nominated by daughter Pauline, who works in Housekeeping on Ward 14 at the Freeman Hospital.
Joan said: “We sadly lost our fabulous mam at the very young age of 39 in 1974, she left behind 7 daughters the youngest one only 4. Things like these amazing screening trailers were not around then, it would be lovely to think of her name living on and that the science behind detection and treatments are so good now. My sisters and I have all been screened yearly for quite a long time, and only in the last 8 years it was discovered that 4 of the seven sisters had the BRCA 2 gene, it would not have been detected had it not been for the fantastic screening programme that the NHS has in place, and for that we are all eternally grateful.“
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to submit a name and share your story and those of your family members. Updates will be posted on the progress of the trailers as we get them.
