Sheffield cancer victim to host tea party for Weston Park Hospital

A Sheffield woman fighting cancer is hosting a fundraising tea party to support the city hospital which treated her.

Dorothy Davis, aged 60, from Nether Green, is set to invite friends and family to the event to raise cash for Weston Park Hospital, where she was treated after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2014.

The piano teacher was diagnosed two weeks after suffering problems swallowing.

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“Absolutely nothing can prepare you for the news you have cancer. But I knew that if I was to beat this, I needed to approach it with positivity and determination,” she said.

“The news that it had been caught early and that treatment options were available at Weston Park Hospital gave me the hope that I so desperately needed.”

Dorothy underwent chemotherapy followed by complex surgery to remove the tumour.

Now, just over one year on, she has planned a tea party as part of the Time for Tea fundraising initiative organised by Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity for the last three years.

The tea parties have raised around £60,000 so far.

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“The staff at Weston Park Hospital and the surgical team the Northern General helped me stay so upbeat and positive throughout treatment that we all want to show our appreciation - and what better way to do that than coming together with friends and family for a cup of tea,” said Dorothy.

Her daughter, Susannah, added: “When my mum said those awful three words ‘I’ve got cancer’ I felt like I’d been hit by a train and it changed my life instantly.

“Because we are so close, it felt like I had been diagnosed too.”

Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity’s fundraising manager, Sarah Cross, said: “We’re delighted that despite going through such a difficult year Dorothy has chosen to support Time for Tea and host her own tea party.”

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“Time for Tea is a great way to come together with friends or family to support Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity and help make a real difference to those fighting cancer.”

Staff at Sheffield’s Claremont Hospital are sportier, slimmer and more stylish following a year of events to support St Luke’s Hospice.

They have taken part in a charity football match, sponsored weight loss challenge and organised a cake sale, sportswear sale and a fashion show - raising £3,330.47 along the way.

Claremont staff also took part in the Night Strider sponsored walk organised by St Luke’s last year.

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“We are delighted that Claremont Private Hospital were so enthusiastic in their support for us and came up with so many imaginative and fun ways of raising money,” said St Luke’s corporate fundraising manager, Joasia Lesniak.

“To have raised well over £3,000 is an incredible achievement and one that really will make an enormous difference to the lives of all St Luke’s patients and their families.”

A Sheffield man, whose dad spent his last days at St Luke’s Hospice is hoping to complete 19 sponsored runs for the charity.

Shaun Flint set himself the challenge in memory of his dad, Maurice.

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Since embarking on his sporting campaign at the start of the year Shaun has already completed the Liverpool Cancer Research 10k and the Liversidge Half Marathon.

He plans to complete the Sheffield Half Marathon, Rother Valley 10k, Chatsworth 10k the Yorkshire Marathon, Clumber Park 10k, the Worksop Half Marathon and finally the Percy Pud 10k in Sheffield before the end of the year.

“My dad died at St Luke’s five years ago,” said 48-year-old Shaun, who lives with wife Karen and their two children in Beighton.

“I never used to run at all but when my dad died I knew I wanted to do something for the hospice and I’ve been building up to this.

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“I love it because I it’s keeping me fit and at the same time I know that I am achieving something for St Luke’s.

“I’ve set myself a target of £1,000 but I’d really like to pass that by the end of the year and I’ve already got to more than £500 – and we’re not even into spring yet.”

Fundraisers swapped their beds for the streets of Sheffield last month to help the city’s homeless.

The 30 volunteers took part in the Sleep Out event to raise money for the Cathedral Archer Project, which offers breakfast and support services to those without a place to call home.

One homeless man took the group on a tour of the city centre to show where he spends his nights when sleeping rough.