A CANCER charity will be able to help medical students understand more about life-threatening illnesses thanks to a housebuilder’s gift of a state-of-the-art camera.
The Pelican Cancer Foundation has been able to buy a pan-tilt camera, which can provide live coverage of bowel cancer operations after Vistry Thames Valley presented it with £1,000.
Staff at the Reading-based housebuilder became aware of the charity’s work after a team member was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
The Foundation helps bowel cancer sufferers and those affected by its associated secondary diseases, through funding research and delivering education programmes for healthcare professionals to share learning to improve early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Daphne Robertson, CEO of the Pelican Cancer Foundation, was grateful for the support of Vistry.
“We are very grateful to Vistry for its generous donation of £1,000 which has been used to purchase a pan tilt camera, which will enable us to broadcast live filming of surgical procedures directly to the training classroom,” she said.
“Pelican’s educational courses are attended by medical professionals from across the UK and internationally.
“Patients with bowel cancer will have a better chance of living well for longer thanks to the success of Pelican training courses in advancing the skills and understanding of surgeons and their cancer teams.”
And Vistry Thames Valley was glad to be able to help.
Its marketing manager, Ali Laflin, said: “We were all devastated to hear of our colleague’s diagnosis with bowel cancer. It really brought it home to all of us how prevalent this disease is and how it affects the lives of so many people.
“The latest NHS statistics show that one in two people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime which is a frightening thought.
“Through our colleague, we became aware of the amazing work that the Pelican Cancer Foundation does to try to improve the lives and survival rates of people suffering with bowel cancer.
“It really is encouraging to know that the camera that has been purchased with our donation will assist with the training of surgeons and help improve outcomes for cancer patients.”
Vistry Thames Valley is part of the Vistry Group which includes Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and Countryside Homes. It is building new homes at locations across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire.
For more information about the foundation, log on to: https://www.pelicancancer.org/home/
