Looking at the Autumn sun shining through the window it reminds me of our charity event last year where we raised funds for Prevent Breast Cancer and Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Mr Gerard Lambe and his good friend Justin Hammond supported the two worthy charities by cycling to a number of hospitals in the North West starting off at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, just outside the city centre in Liverpool, on to Spire Cheshire Hospital in Warrington, then on to Prevent Breast Cancer (formerly known as Genesis), Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester and finally finished at The Christie Hospital in Didsbury, South Manchester.
All these charities are close to our hearts.
Going back to the bank holiday weekend in May 2005 we received excellent care and attention at Liverpool Women’s hospital when having our first child, a healthy baby girl brought on by the excitement of the European Cup Final match where the final score was Milan 3 – 3 Liverpool (aet; Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties).
Kevin, McGarra writing in Istanbul for The Guardian wrote
“Liverpool’s exhilarating powers of recovery, after being 3-0 behind at the interval, inspired the greatest European Cup final of modern times!”
So, despite the hubbub in Liverpool City Centre as the cup was brought home to delighted crowds, we managed to pass the traffic that had come to welcome their heroes home after a game beyond compare for excitement and drama! Luckily we got to the hospital on time (well we did have 36 hours to go in the end!)
Spire Cheshire was their next destination, an excellent hospital in terms of patient care and a “friendly family atmosphere” reported time and time again by many of it’s patients and staff.
A recent 5 ***** review by Diane Roberts said
Fabulous staff, made to feel comfortable. Outstanding care. Lovely and clean hospital.
Mr Lambe performs many surgeries at Spire Cheshire and gives talks at their regular Cosmetic Surgery information events so that prospective patients can find out more about the surgery they are thinking of having, and can take friends or family members with them for emotional and practical support. The hospital is well hooked up to road and motorway links, is easy to find and parking is nearby which makes it an easier journey to make when going on the (sometimes emotional) journey towards surgery. They are usually held in the evening so patients don’t have to take time off work and have minimum disruption to their busy schedules.
Once there they have a chance to see the Surgeon firsthand, collect information, hear the benefit of his experience during the talk and ask specific questions either to the group or afterwards in private. The surgery they are interested in may be a Facelift, (be it a Mini Facelift, Mid Facelift or Full Facelift) or Breast surgery such as a Breast Augmentation (to increase the size of their breasts with a choice of breast implants), a Breast Uplift (usually after pregnancy, childbirth or breast feeding) or a Breast Reduction (popular usually due to a lifetime of backache, their bra straps digging in or problems when choosing clothes and a lifetime of wearing separates as they cannot wear dresses as their top half just does not balance with their bottom half so their tops will be a large size and their skirts or trousers will be a smaller size).
More recent surgery trends include the new ear folds (to correct protruding or “bat” ears) and most recently labiaplasty where patients are unhappy with the size or imbalance of their labia and want to reduce them in size.
Next on the cycling journey was a stop off at the Prevent Breast Cancer charity (based in the Nightingale Centre in Wythenshawe hospital) which seeks to raise funds for research into factors which have been identified as contributing to breast cancer including genes, drugs, diet and lifestyle. They are also on a mission to improve screening and early diagnosis for women who may have breast cancer.
The charity has an easy to understand website, answering many patients’ frequently asked questions such as What is Breast Cancer? and holds a number of fundraising events throughout the year as well as offering marketing support should you wish to hold your own event.
Mr Lambe has worked in hospitals around the North West for over 20 years as a Surgeon and said
“Every day I see how brave my patients are when undergoing surgery to reduce their risk of breast cancer. Many have watched close family relatives die from the disease at a young age. It humbles me to see how brave they are and I want to support research into more effective treatments for both breast and ovarian cancers.
I have two lovely daughters, born at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Wythenshawe Maternity Unit, where the care they received was first class during two very prolonged labours.
I hope they have long and prosperous lives and by raising funds for these women’s charities I hope this helps to secure a better future for them and all women“
The final stop on the cycle was at the world famous Christie Hospital which treats many patients who have cancer and offers life saving treatment in Didsbury, South Manchester.
Mr Lambe works in the Plastic Surgery department where he leads the Breast Reconstruction Unit there and performs many risk reducing surgery for women who have been identified as having a high lifetime risk of breast cancer, similar to Angelina Jolie. He also performs microsurgical reconstruction for women who have undergone mastectomies as part of their breast cancer treatment . He also offers second opinion in complex cases from other surgeons.
The Christie Hospital, based in South Manchester, United Kingdom, houses the leading experts in cancer care, research and education. They have been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the health regulator, the Care Quality Commission. They have been pioneering cancer research breakthroughs for over 100 years and offer patients access to hundreds of clinical trials. In a global survey they were ranked as the most technologically advanced cancer centre in the world outside North America.They are going to be the first unit to offer proton beam therapy, a treatment that patients used to have to travel abroad for.
He also consults privately at The Christie Private Hospital.
