A seriously ill mum-of-two has launched a “goody bag” for cancer and end-of-life patients treated at a West Midlands healthcare Trust.Sally Gutteridge, 44, of Tipton, thought of the idea after she underwent treatment for cancer at City Hospital, in Birmingham.
Now the mum-of-two has been working with Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust’s Your Trust Charity to put together the bag which contains items such as puzzle books, a patient journal, sweets, non-fragrance wet-wipes, shampoo and tissues.
‘Sally’s Sunshine Packs’ have been funded by money raised by the mum through various events she has held over the last year.
She said: “These goody bags will mean so much to cancer patients. I remember seeing others undergoing treatment who were there by themselves. I just thought it would have been so nice for them to have something that they could take home, that was useful.
“These bags will put a smile on the faces of the patients - and let’s face it everyone likes a freebie. I decided to join forces with Your Trust Charity because it meant I could really give something back to the people who have been caring for me.”
She added: “By working with the charity, I can see where this money is going and how it is helping patients. It is more personal to me.”
Current chemotherapy patient Linda Smith, on receiving the bag, said: “I think it’s a very good idea – there’s a good selection of stuff in here. It’ll keep me quite busy. Even the bag is very useful.”
Jenny Donovan, Cancer Services Manager, added: “Chemotherapy treatment can be overwhelming and may affect you physically and emotionally. The bags will provide a range of genuinely useful and thoughtful products to make it easier to cope with the side effects of chemotherapy.
“Sally is an inspirational lady who through her own health challenges had dedicated her time in raising funds and developing the contents with Your Trust Charity. The brilliant bags will provide comfort and support to our patients to our patients and we see this project as something that could eventually be rolled out nationwide.”
