Staff at a busy private hospital in Wrexham were in the pink as they gave strong support to the battle against breast cancer.
Led by breast care nurse Heather Stephens, the team at Spire Yale Hospital took part in a programme of special events to back Wear it Pink, the annual national fundraising and awareness day for the Breast Cancer Campaign.
And on hand to give them her full backing was 56-year-old Sian Owen of Mold who won her own fight with the disease thanks to the treatment she received at the hospital.
Sian revealed that after discovering a lump in one of her breasts, she was diagnosed with cancer last November.
She said: “The following month I had surgery at Spire Yale to remove the lump and then in January this year I underwent a mastectomy.
“I am still receiving chemotherapy but the doctors tell me I am doing well. I am certainly feeling very well.
“Throughout the whole process the support I have had from the staff at Spire Yale, particularly Heather Stephens, has been invaluable and I would like to thank them all very much for all they have done for me.
“I would also like to thank the staff in the Shooting Star unit at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, where patients from Spire Yale go for chemotherapy.”
Sian added: “I wanted to be at Spire Yale to take part in the Wear it Pink day in recognition of all that has been done for me.
“I would say to anyone who thinks they might have breast cancer is to have it checked over as soon as possible.
“I found a lump and went to see my doctor immediately, so my message would be don’t delay in seeking a medical opinion and don’t let any concerns or anxieties stand in your way.”
Heather Stephens, who has been a specialist breast care nurse for eight years, the past 18 months of which have been at Spire Yale, said she believes that organising special events to mark Wear it Pink day at Spire Yale was of vital importance.
She explained: “Throughout the day I gave a series of talks for our staff on the subject of breast care.
“One of the things I told them was that, each year in the UK, 55,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer, and 400 of these are males so it’s not just something that affect women.
“We also had a raffle in the hospital, the proceeds from which were donated to the Breast Cancer Campaign.
“All the great prizes were donated by members of our staff, and the star prize was a hamper packed with things like wine, chocolate and make-up. Our second prize, which was on the theme of a quiet night in, contained the same sort of things but also included a good book and some bubble bath.
“Another highlight of the day was the sale of cakes, including cupcakes with pink icing and other goodies, which were kindly donated by our hospital chef, Jane Solari. These were sold for donations to the charity to staff members and also a few patients who had heard about what we were doing ion behalf of the Breast Cancer Campaign.
“It was a lot fun but I think it was also extremely important we did something like this at the hospital to raise awareness of breast cancer and the way its treatment has leapt forward in the past 10 years. It was also good to raise as much money as we could for the Breast Cancer Campaign.”
In the last 10 years since it began, more than £23 million has been raised by Wear it Pink to fund breast cancer research, with £2.1 million being donated last year alone.
