Nikki Benezra

Quote from our Chair Lady

The idea for Fight for Life was formulated some seven years ago, whilst waiting to see my oncologist at the Middlesex Hospital in London. I noticed that young children and adolescents suffering from cancer were facing treatments of radiotherapy and gruelling weeks of chemotherapy in the same facility as adults. These poor children often had to wait many months before being seen and treated. I knew then and there that I wanted to do something about this. Along with some of my closest friends, I was introduced to Dr Jeffrey Tobias. He told us his dream was to have a dedicated children's unit, equipped with new toys, computers and games, as well as a play therapist to work with the children during their long visits. However, his ultimate goal was to have a new 'Linear Radiotherapy Machine', where children could be treated quickly in a child friendly environment, which would probably be unique in the whole of Europe.

We needed to raise £2,000,000. Although this seemed to be an impossible figure at the time, after meetings at the Middlesex Hospital, they agreed to build the infrastructure for the unit (£500,000) if we, Fight For Life agreed to guarantee the lease payments on the new machine of £150,000 per annum. We set up a fund, under the auspices of the UCLH Trust and after years of hard work, by all the Fight for Life volunteers, my vision and Dr Tobias's dream finally became a reality, when our Patrons Gary and Michelle Lineker finally opened our Fight for Life unit in January 2000 with a £250,000 donation from our committee.

That was just the start. We still had to raise £150,000 annually to keep the unit going and to pay the leasing costs on our 'Linear Radiotherapy Machine'. These costs were met by our many fund raising events, including our annual celebrity golf day, hosted by Gary Lineker.

In September 2003, we were justifiably proud to announce that our committee had raised about £1,000,000. The fact that 'our children' are now being treated in a dedicated children's area, utilising state-of-the-art technology to help beat this debilitating disease, is something 'Fight for Life' can be proud of.

Now we have a new project, as our unit has moved to the new hospital. We are having a brand new dedicated cancer unit at the new UCH hospital on the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road. Our Linear Accelerator – the high energy radiotherapy equipment used for treating children’s cancers, bought with your money and now fully paid for, is coming with us and we will also have our own brand new ‘children’s play area and waiting room, to give them some breathing space whilst waiting for their treatment. All this has meant that the children under our care have been treated to the very highest standards, and the unit can now claim to be a world-class paediatric cancer treatment centre - second to none. As far as we are aware, there is no other similar facility anywhere in the UK, with such a wide range of expertise and modern equipment.

Recently the committee went for a meeting with Professor Jeffrey Tobias, to look how your support could continue to benefit the new unit. As you may have now read, or been informed, in order to remain at the absolute forefront of treatment, we have leased a new PET/CT scanner. This new type of scanner which will provide the unit with much better treatment accuracy for children about to undergo radiotherapy. The move from our old facilities on the Middlesex Hospital site to the new UCH took place in November 2005, and we installed the PET/CT scanner, early in 2007.

One of our most rewarding days each year, is our annual Christmas party for the children in treatment and their families. To see the smiles on their faces and to meet all the children we are committed to help, makes all our efforts worthwhile. We need your support to ensure that the work that we have started at the Middlesex Hospital can be continued in the hope that those children unfortunate enough to suffer from cancer, can at least be assured that there will be a dedicated facility for them to rely upon. Recently the committee went for a meeting with the professor Jeffrey Tobias to look how your support could continue to benefit to new unit as you may have now read or been informed, in order to remain at the absolute forefront of treatment, we have now leased along with the UCH, a new PET/CT scanner which is located in the Nuclear Medicine Department. This type of scanner will provide the unit with much better treatment, accuracy for children about to undergo radiotherapy. The move took place from our old facility at Middlesex hospital to the UCH in November 2005 and the PET/CT scanner was installed in the early part of 2007.

So please help us to fight the 'Big Fight for Little People'

Nikki Benezra
On Behalf of Fight for Life