Scat is dedicated to the advancement of bone cancer research, to providing the best possible care and support at each stage of treatment and to improving the quality and dignity of life for all patients.
Sarah told us how the charity originally came about, initially supplying better quality wigs than those available to cancer sufferers at the time. The charity has since grown into what it is today.
Sarah told us a little about bone cancer – some types are most likely to occur in children, adolescents and young adults while others occur more commonly in adults. Over 250 cases are diagnosed each year. Scat’s surgeons work with a dedicated team of oncologists and other specialists to provide a special package of care for each patient.
Scat understands the vital importance of research into bone cancers, and one of these groundbreaking areas of work is photodynamic therapy, which is used to treat bone tumours and soft tissue sarcomas. The work is being widely published.
Sometimes the treatment of bone cancers means the loss of a limb, in some cases more than one limb. Scat are involved in sourcing better quality prostheses than the basic prostheses available on the NHS. Scat believe that all children and young adults have the right to be playing sports, etc.
Scat relies entirely on donations and fundraising. One of Scat’s surgeons and trustees has done tremendous fundraising for the charity. He completed an Iron Man Challenge as part of his own fundraising efforts – basically this is a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile cycle ride, followed by a marathon (26.2 mile run). He completed the event in something under 12 hours and raised around £10,000!
Through the hard work of staff and volunteers Scat have managed to raise over 2.5 million pounds over the last 10 years. They encourage everyone to get involved in their fundraising efforts – there are a number of events over the coming weeks and months which are listed on their website.
At the end of the evening President Sharon presented Sarah with a cheque for £250 for Scat on behalf of our Club. (Scat is one of Sharon’s two charities for her Presidential year, the other being Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance).
Click for more details about Scat.
Picture: (L-R) President Sharon Jordan, Rtn Tony Loughran, Sarah Wright, Jane Loughran. Picture credit: Viv Pritchard.
