Mum of two and founder of charity volunteer brigade ‘Amy’s Army’ has completed another fundraising venture.
Amy Mills, 32, organised a toy and cake sale at Penwortham United Reformed Church and raised £1099 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.
This amount comes on top of a £12,342 donation already handed over to the charity, which went towards a £23,000 SiteRite 8 ultrasound system for Rosemere Cancer Centre’s chemotherapy unit.
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It makes inserting PICC lines – a way of delivering chemotherapy medicines – quicker and less painful for patients.
That amount was raised by Amy’s Army who walked the equivalent of the Great Wall of China (13,171 miles) and then back to Preston in the spring to coincide with the first anniversary of Amy’s diagnosis of breast cancer back in March 2020.
Amy underwent three surgeries, 18 weeks of chemotherapy and 15 radiotherapy sessions as part of her treatment and who is still receiving top-up drug treatment aimed at stopping her cancer from returning.
She said: “The toy and cake sale was amazing. We had so much support from friends, family and the local community for which I am very grateful.
“I really enjoyed the day and it’s fantastic to be able to support the chemotherapy unit again as it’s really close to home for me as I am still having treatment there.”
This time, Amy’s donation will go towards the £25,200 cost of a new Paxman Scalp Cooling System, which is currently on order.
Rosemere Cancer Foundation is buying the system, which is used to combat chemotherapy induced hair loss, to complement the chemotherapy unit’s existing system.
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A second Paxman will enable even more patients to have the option of hair preservation.
Dan Hill, chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Amy and her army once again for their support.
“Selling pre loved toys in the run up to Christmas was a great idea. I have two daughters and know how quickly a favourite toy is outgrown. To recycle in this way is great for the environment and on the pocket.
“For us, it’s also a significant contribution to our latest project to buy a second scalp cooling system for the chemo unit. While hair loss is one of the most well-known side-effects of cancer treatment, it can also be one of the hardest for patients to cope with.
“The cooling system works by reducing blood flow to the scalp so less chemotherapy medicine goes into the hair follicles. This translates into retaining or even completely preserving the hair so having access to a Paxman system is now demanded by an increasing number of patients.”
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