Andrew Bigley Cheque Presentation
Cancer survivor donates £15k to oncology centre
A 47-year-old Wellingborough father-of-two who spent months fighting cancer has made a huge donation to the oncology centre at Northampton General Hospital.
Andrew Bigley was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in September 2008, and underwent gruelling chemotherapy, radiotherapy and operations to save his life. He remained positive despite many setbacks, and resolved both to help raise awareness of cancer symptoms, and to raise funds for NGH and the Oxford hospitals where he was also treated.
A cheque for £15,000 was handed over to the oncology centre. The money was raised by the organisation of a charity ball, held at Sywell aerodrome in May, that attracted over 500 guests. An auction, raffle, and donations from individuals and companies added to the ticket sales, taking the grand total beyond £30,000. Half of the money is being donated to Occtopus, the Oxford Colon Cancer Trust.
Andrew, who is group MD of mechanical and electrical contractors Dodd Group, said: “I had always been very fit and active, full of life, and I never dreamt I would have cancer. I feel indebted to the specialists who have saved my life, and this is one way of putting something back and helping them to treat other people in similar situations.”
Dr Roy Mathew, NGH clinical director for oncology, said: “This is a huge donation from Andrew, and we are absolutely delighted that his organisation of the charity ball was so successful. We are very grateful for this extra funding, which we are using to purchase more syringe drivers. These enable us to provide continuous delivery of a range of therapies to aid comfort for patients with cancer, particularly for those who are unable to take medication orally.
Picture shows Kerry Messam, Andrew Bigley and wife Vicky, Pat Calcott, Dr Sonia Swart, Dr Roy Mathew, Dolly Barron and Vicky Howard.