POSTED ON: Sunday, 5th April 2009

News - New PACE Charity

PACE has very successfully raised money for NABS and Marie Curie Cancer Care over the last two years, and the official charity figures will be issued at the AGM next month and outlined in the next newsletter May 09. However, we know that despite the challenging economic times we have continued to secure very strong support from the industry as a whole. For that we are extremely grateful and would like to thank you for your contribution.

The next two years will see The Teenage Cancer Trust as PACEʼs designated charity. The Teenage Cancer Trust is currently funding a special wing at the Birmingham Childrenʼs Hospital which should hopefully materialise in 2010. It has also been given the agreement to build a specialist area at the Royal Orthopaedic and our new super hospital the Queen Elizabeth Birmingham.  All charities are grateful for cash donations but our objective this year is to raisemoney for specific requirements that will help these young adults to secure a better quality of life or at least give them some pleasure in the midst of the gravest possibly life threatening ordeals. So we are looking at their objectives such as the need for better facilities for parents visiting their children and often spending days and weeks with them. So a new parents lounge would cost £10,000 and a juke box for the children £3000. The hospital would commemorate donations like this for specific needs with a very public acknowledgement to PACE members for their support.

Adolescence is often a very traumatic time for teenagers and parents alike so on top of their health issues they will still feel all of the hormonal frustrations and rebellious behaviour patterns that most ordinary young adults experience.  So if we can help alleviate some of their angst in can only help everyone involved- be it patient or carer.

What is more, teenagers have specific issues to deal with so being diagnosed with cancer and then stuck in a children's ward with postman pat and lights out at 7 can be a soul-destroying journey. Equally being thrown in an adult ward with people their parents ages must be just as challenging. Whatever their conditions, they are still young people and they need like minded other young people for mutual support and empathy. Long hospital stays, often bed bound during chemotherapy treatment is tough enough therefore the money raised can help support them by providing specific units to let them mix socially with their peers, share personal stories in a comfortable environment with teenage facilities such as computer games, music, TV and pool tables.

I hope you will continue to support PACE to help us help them by channelling your donations so that we can see a tangible benefit for these young people in the future.

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