Local lady Michelle Swan and her colleagues at a local supermarket have donated £1100 to one of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s cancer teams.
Following the end of treatment for cancer in May 2020, Michelle decided to undertake fundraising activities at Tesco in Dumfries, supported by its Community Champion and other colleagues, to raise funds for a national cancer charity. Inspired by their success making a £550 donation to the national charity, she set about organising another fundraiser in the same way, this time for a local cancer team, and doubling the amount of money made the first time around.
Michelle said:
“I really wanted to thank the breast cancer team who looked after me from when I found out I had cancer right through to after I finished treatment. They were amazing. Cancer is really scary but you can get through that emotional aspect of it with the kind of help and support I had. The best way I could think to thank the team who helped me was to give them a donation to use in the Oncology Department for something they knew would make a difference to other patients. They are using the money to pay for some alternative therapies for patients undergoing treatment. It’s good to know I am doing something for the team and other patients.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues for their help organising both fundraisers, including the store manager and Community Champion, and a big thank you to colleagues and customers at the store who gave so generously contributing to the grand sum we made.
“Thank you to my family too. I could not have made it through this without them.”
Carol McQuade, Clinical Nurse Specialist for NHS D&G, said:
“We are delighted to accept this donation from Michelle and her colleagues. This means a lot to the breast team, to know what we do makes a genuine difference to someone while they go through breast cancer treatment.
“We are grateful that Michelle has given her time and for her efforts with fundraising to help other patients. We are going to use the money from the donation to cover the cost of acupuncture for patients who experience menopausal symptoms due to the effects of treatment for breast cancer.”
Nick Mitchell, Endowment Fund Manager, NHS D&G, said:
“I continue to be surprised by the fantastic efforts by local people like Michelle who are so generous with their donations to the Board’s Endowment Fund.
“The money from these donations makes a difference to staff and patients and it’s so important that those who donate know that. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Michelle and everyone who donates to our Endowment Fund.”
