Debbie donates £70k equipment to Royal Bolton Hospital
Women receiving treatment for breast cancer at the Royal Bolton Hospital are benefitting from new equipment worth over £70k. thanks to former patient Debbie Dowie.
Bolton-based Debbie, wife of former professional footballer and manager Ian Dowie, launched charity Boot out Breast Cancer after her diagnosis by the hospital in August 2009. She has proved herself to be a phenomenal fundraiser with breast cancer services across the North West benefitting from her efforts.
One of the two pieces of equipment she has donated to the Royal Bolton Hospital is a specimen cabinet which enables X-rays of breast tumour specimens taken during surgery, to be viewed in theatre. This checks that the tumour has been fully removed with clear margins.
Previously the sample had to be taken two floors down and along a corridor to a cabinet in the Breast Unit during the operation. Having a cabinet in the theatre itself means that the patient does not need to be anaesthetised for as long, it releases a member of staff from having to take the specimen to the Breast Unit and it also means that the cabinet in the unit can be freed up for other things.
The second piece of equipment that Debbie has donated is a gamma probe which is for identifying the armpit lymph nodes and helps to find them during surgery.
Debbie said: "I know how fortunate I have been, so I hope this equipment will help treat many women and save lives."
Debbie was shown the equipment by the hospital's clinical lead for breast surgery, Tibor Kovacs.
He said: "I know Debbie worked really hard to raise the money for this equipment and I’d like to thank her and all her supporters for their generosity. This is a wonderful thing to have done."
Around 350 women a year are diagnosed in Bolton with breast cancer.
Boot out breast cancer - www.bootoutbreastcancer.org.uk
Pictured: with the specimen cabinet are, left to right, Tibor Kovacs, Clinical Lead for Breast Surgery; Catherine Walsh, Radiology Manager; Debbie Dowie.