28 August 2009
It may not be the most common way of raising money, but for a patient of St Helier Hospital, a sponsored fly-fishing competition was the perfect fundraising event.
Mark Phillips, who has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer which affects white blood cells and your ability to fight infections, raised £500 with the event. Mark has now donated all of the money raised to the hospital as a way of saying thank you for the support he has received.
Mark said: "It was a great day - there was a good turnout, nice weather and we even managed to catch some good-sized fish!
"I decided to raise some money for the haematology department (the unit which investigates and treats blood disorders) because I wanted to give something back to all of the staff in the department that have treated me throughout my illness.
"I was diagnosed in 2005 and since then have regularly been coming to the hospital for chemotherapy, blood tests and check ups.
"I was devastated when I got my diagnosis. It's just that word - cancer. It came as a huge shock and it was a very frightening time.
"I know that I owe an awful lot to the staff here. Everyone's really nice and very supportive, which is exactly what I needed - especially when I was first diagnosed."
Dr Jane Mercieca, a consultant in the haematology department said: "We're absolutely thrilled that Mark generously donated this money to us.
"We're currently raising money to refurbish the day case area, which is where people go to have chemotherapy and blood transfusions. This donation is another great step towards achieving that goal.
"Anything that can make our patients feel a little bit more relaxed while they're here is incredibly important to all of the staff in the department. We owe Mark a big thank you."
