22/5/2008Your cash can give these kids a better future
IT'S bright, airy, relaxed and modern, with the feel of a student house. But the young people lounging in this common room, watching DVDs and playing video games, are actually in hospital... and each one is fighting cancer.
Now top rockers The Fratellis are calling on Glaswegians to help raise £350,000 to provide hundreds of other teenagers diagnosed with the disease with the same hi-tech facilities.
The Teenage Cancer Trust hopes to open a second cancer unit at Yorkhill next year, serving youngsters aged 13-16 throughout west Scotland.
Teenagers using the unit will be able to meet others in a similar situation and build friendships that help them cope with the disease.
Meanwhile, specialist staff are there to provide support to patients and their families.
The band, Jon, Barry and Mince, who release their second album next month, say the new ward will make a massive difference to young patients.
Launching the campaign at the charity's first teenage cancer unit, the Beatson Oncology Centre, the trio, who recently played a benefit gig for the charity at the Albert Hall alongside The Who legend Roger Daltrey, urged everyone in the city to do their bit.
Jon said: "We're asking people to put their hands in their pockets and get involved, every penny counts.
"It's fantastic news that a second unit is planned for Glasgow, but we really need to see the money start rolling in.
"The charity needs £350,000 to go ahead with their plans, all of which has to be raised in Scotland."
Bass player Barry continued: "We've seen first-hand the difference that a Teenage Cancer Trust unit makes to the lives of teenagers, the facilities here are amazing.
"Everybody has a relative or friend who has been touched by cancer and six teenagers are diagnosed with the disease in the UK every day, which is pretty scary. We should all be doing what we can to help."
If given the green light the new six-bed unit, to be opened at Yorkhill Hospital early next year, will provide state-of-the-art facilities for cancer patients aged 13-16, including a communal lounge, games tables and consoles, internet access, sofa, TV and kitchen/diner.
Medical experts believe socialising with others receiving treatment can help young patients make a better recovery.
And the young people currently benefiting from the facilities at the Beatson couldn't agree more.
Allister Boyd is receiving radiotherapy for a spinal tumour, after having had a brain tumour removed.
The 19-year-old from Ayr said: "The best thing about this place is being able to talk to other people my own age and listening to their experiences. Sometimes adults don't understand the things you are going through, like losing your hair or having worries about fertility.
"It can be very isolating when you are on a ward full of older people.
"But getting support from other young people really helps you through and the teenagers at Yorkhill deserve the same chance we're getting."
Simon McKernan, from Rutherglen, has leukaemia and has just received a stem cell transplant.
The 21-year-old believes the unit has helped him recover more quickly.
He said: "It great being able to sit in a nice environment with other people, instead of alone in your room.
"You can make yourself some food, watch a DVD or surf the internet. This place helps you to relax."
Dr Ian Wallace, associate director of children's health at Yorkhill, said the new unit would be a fantastic addition to the hospital.
He said: "When you are recovering from cancer, the right environment is vital, as is socialising with others your own age.
"We want to empower these young people and help them take charge of their condition.
"The unit will be a ward and the patients will be receiving treatment, but it's also a place where they can be teenagers too."
To make a donation or help raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, contact Jill McRae or Catriona Stewart on 0141 249 6885 or log on to www.teenagecancertrust.org
