Rotarians have donated £2000 to a cancer care unit appeal at Torbay Hospital to help buy two ‘cold cap’ chemotherapy machines, which prevent hair loss during cancer treatments.

Rotary Club President Nick Hindmarsh said: “I’m delighted the Rotary Club of Dartmouth has been able to support the cold caps’ project at the Ricky Grant Unit. The work the unit does to support cancer sufferers is so important, with one in two people experiencing cancer in their lifetimes. The benefits of this technology are amazing to witness and our support for this project means local people will be able to receive this treatment for years ahead."

Local patient Joy Howick has been busy fundraising with the help of local people and businesses.

She said: “The instant response to my request with such a generous donation from the local Dartmouth Rotary Club was just the boost needed. I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer and am now at the end of five months of the most gruelling chemo in terms of hair loss, and have not lost any hair!

“For me the cold cap means that pain associated with hair loss is avoided, and problems associated with this pain such as disturbed sleep have all been avoided. You have to keep as well as you can and give your body every bit of support to withstand the rigours of the chemo. Without this chemo my risks would be very high of having secondary cancers that would be much harder to treat.

“I’m currently under the care of the oncology unit and they’re amazing. The nurses and medical staff have a charity just for this unit and they use it to fund all the things that make all the difference but are not provided on the NHS.”

Joy said the cold cap machines were installed in every NHS hospital via a one-off donation but with the agreement that the individual NHS trusts would pay for replacement machines.

She added: “But hard times in the NHS meant this was not always possible so the amazing staff at Torbay took up the challenge to raise this money to replace the two machines that have improved technology, much easier to use, and more comfortable for patients.

“Some patients are put off from chemo due to its hair loss or the complexity of managing the side effects. Hair and the impact of any disfigurements means different things to all of us and in some cases I believe that the cold cap and hair saving reduces pain, improves patients overall well- being at a time when literally every little thing that keeps you feeling as well as you can makes a huge difference and may save a life.

“Charities are making a huge difference to our wonderful NHS and Dartmouth Rotary Club has already supported with huge donations for prostate cancer and are now helping our local cancer Torbay hospital unit just at a time when they most need it. We have nearly reached our target of £28,000. We have just £9,000 to raise. The current machine, the last of the four that were originally installed, needs urgently replacing, so we need to raise money as quickly as possible.”