LOCAL CHARITY BRINGS A LITTLE FESTIVE CHEER TO THE CANCER CENTRE

Local charity Friends of the Cancer Centre is hoping to bring a little festive cheer to the Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital this Christmas, with special gifts for patients who will be spending Christmas Day in hospital.

As people across Northern Ireland get set to spend Christmas at home with family and friends, some cancer patients will be celebrating Christmas in hospital as they receive vital treatment and care.  While staff at the Cancer Centre endeavour to let as many patients as they can home for Christmas Day, not all patients are well enough and many can’t take a break from their treatment.   Determined to make sure these patients still have a special Christmas, Friends of the Cancer Centre will be delivering gifts to mark the special day in what has now become an annual tradition in the hospital.

Colleen Shaw, chief executive of Friends of the Cancer Centre, said:

“Christmas is a really special time of year, but for many cancer patients Christmas Day will be spent in hospital undergoing treatment.  While we know nothing will make this easier, we still want to try to make this time a little brighter and that’s why each year we buy every patient in hospital on Christmas Day a gift.  The presents are just small tokens, but we hope they let patients know that we are thinking of them and their families.  It’s genuinely heart-warming to see how such a small gesture makes such a big difference at a time when people need it most.”

Friends of the Cancer Centre is one of Northern Ireland’s leading cancer charities working to support local cancer patients and their families by enhancing the care and support they receive at every stage of their cancer journey.  The charity has been buying Christmas presents for patients for ten years and it was a tradition started by staff in the hospital who wanted to brighten up a difficult time of year for their patients.

Find out about Friends of the Cancer Centre at www.friendsofthecancercentre.com