Lady Gaga guitar helps charity ball fund '˜life-changing' scanner

Lunch with golfing star Matt Fitzpatrick was another auction prize that helped the Daffodil ball raise £43,000 for The Children’s Hospital Charity.

Pop singer Lady Gaga’s instrument alone brought in £1350 at the March 4 event, held at Baldwins Omega in Sheffield.

Organised by husband and wife David and Jean Fyfe for 27 years, the annual balls have now notched up £1,045,000.

Mr Fyfe, of Dore, said: “Thanks to some incredibly generous donors we have surpassed all expectations and will be able to fund a life-changing piece of equipment at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Thank you to all our wonderful sponsors.”

Money raised will fund an EOS scanner for the hospital’s specialist orthopaedic centre. Only the second of its kind available for children in the UK, the scanner is an ultra-low dose 2D and 3D imaging system that produces head-to-toe images in two planes simultaneously.

Consultant Spinal Surgeon at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Ashley Cole, who attended the ball, said: “EOS is the most exciting advance in medical imaging for many years. It takes a standing X-ray of the whole spine or legs from both a front and side view at the same time.

“Current X-rays have to be stitched together to achieve this, resulting in error and magnification. The two views EOS produces can be combined to produce a 3D image which is useful when planning complex operations in patients with spinal or lower limb deformities such as scoliosis.

“Perhaps most important is that the X-rays are taken with a sixth of the radiation dose we currently use. We are also partnering with the University of Sheffield and numerous specialties within SCH to explore the research potential of this new technology including 3D printing.”

For information about the Children’s Hospital Charity, visit www.tchc.org.uk