Teenage Cancer Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1062559

Please help make a difference by donating to Nicole’s Fund at:

www.justgiving.com/nicolesfund

Thank you for visiting my page about Nicole’s fund, something which I’ve set up with Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity very, very close to my heart as I was once a teenager with cancer myself.

Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of teenagers and young adults living with cancer. Their main aim is to build specialist state-of-the-art units in NHS hospitals for 13-24 year olds going through treatment for cancer. TCT is now building one of these units at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, where I’ve received my cancer treatment since I was 11. I’ve set up Nicole’s fund so that the money I raise goes towards building this much needed unit. It will have 13 patients bedrooms, which include en-suite bathrooms, a chill out room, music room, games room, parents lounge, a kitchen, so that teenagers and their families can make their own food (and avoid the hospital’s! although the Marsden does actually do nice food!), and not forgetting, the unit will be three stories high with a rooftop garden!

All TCT units are designed to have a homely atmosphere, and to make young people’s experience of having cancer the best it could possibly be. TCT units give young people suffering from cancer the chance to meet others their own age who understand what they’re going through. That’s something that I missed out on when I was treated on a children’s ward, so that’s one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about helping to build one of these special unit at the Marsden.

Nicole’s fund was officially launched on the 15th April 2009 - at No.11 Downing Street. The event was kindly hosted by Maggie Darling, and was attended by over 100 supporters.

My first goal with the fund is to raise £100,000 to fully equip one patient’s bedroom. This will include an electric bed, en-suite bathroom, flat screen TV with Sky, a laptop with internet access, music system, games console, parent’s bed, plus much more. The unit is being built now, and will be finished and in use around spring 2011. It will cost TCT about £3.5 million to build it, and I’m aiming to raise as much money as possible towards it. I’m lucky now to be in remission for the third time, but if I ever relapse again, then I’ll be using this unit, so I want to do all I can to help build it.

If you’d like to make a donation towards this fantastic cause, then please donate online at:

www.justgiving.com/nicolesfund

or send a cheque made payable to Nicole’s Fund to:

Teenage Cancer Trust – South East

Nicole’s Fund

PO Box 765

Haywards Heath

RH16 9GE 

Thank you!

If you would like any more information, or are interested in organising an event to raise money for Nicole’s fund, then please contact me on:

Nicole.dryburgh@teenagecancertrust.org

Throughout the year I will be adding different fundraising events to my fundraising page, so please keep checking it to see how you can get involved.

Teenage cancer facts:  

• 2,000 cases of teenage cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK - that’s 6 today, 6 tomorrow and 6 every day after that

• One in 312 boys, one in 361 girls gets cancer before they’re 20

• Teenage cancer rates have increased by 50% in the last 30 years - there are now more teenagers than children with cancer in the UK

• Cancer is the No.1 cause of non-accidental death in teenagers in the UK

• Young people contract some of the most aggressive cancers and survival rates fall well below those of other age groups

Teenage Cancer Trust facts:  

• TCT funds specialist teenage cancer units in NHS hospitals to provide a sanctuary while receiving the best possible treatment in centres of excellence

• TCT’s aim is to open 14 additional units by 2012 - giving every teenager with cancer access to an age appropriate facility

• we provide a family support network to help parents and siblings

• we fund a Professor of Teenage and Young Adult Cancer

• we sponsor medical training and conferences related to teenage cancer

• TCT also runs a vibrant education programme - aiming for the ultimate goal of teaching every young person in the UK about cancer before they leave fulltime

education