Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer

http://www.lfbc.org.uk

About Us

Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer was established in 2000 by Veronica Kumeta and the late Sue Macmaster, after their friend Carol Knaggs was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Having raised money for Breast Cancer before the idea was to control where the money went, rather than giving it to national charities, so we contacted the Queen Elizabeth Birmingham and started working exclusively with them.

Sadly, Carol lost her battle with cancer, as did Sue when she was later diagnosed with the disease. But their legacy lives on…

Despite losing two close friends, Veronica continued with the charity and recruited a group of local female volunteers in 2000, with the aim of raising both funds and awareness of the disease.

Since 2000, Ladies Fight Breast Cancer has given over £1 million to the QE’s Cancer Unit, which has helped fund new medical equipment and create a ‘centre of excellence’. This equipment includes a Mobile Mammogram Trailer to allow up to ten women an hour to be x-rayed in their local area; an Ultra Sound Scanner for diagnosing breast disease; a Cooling Cap to reduce hair loss during treatment; and a Faxitron X-Ray Machine that enables microscopic clarity during biopsies.

With a packed calendar of fundraising activities, all of the money stays within the West Midlands, helping Breast Cancer patients within a 70-mile radius of the hospital. This means if you donate money to us, you can see exactly where it’s going and how it’s being spent. And with one person every 10 minutes being diagnosed with the disease in the UK, it’s important to fund front-line services to ensure that patients are getting the best possible treatment.

We have now launched a £1 Million Appeal to fund important ‘soft services’ at the QE Hospital that go beyond the means of the NHS. In 2015, when the Breast Cancer Unit moves to its new location at the QE, we want to fund a patients’ lounge, hair salon, beauty treatments and bra-fitting services. Have a look at how you can help us achieve that over on our Support Us pages and sign up to some of our events to help raise money.

 

Where your money goes

The following are examples of the equipment LFBC has purchased for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Cancer Centre in Birmingham since the charity’s formation in June 2000. Our fund-raising started with a £5,000 cooling cap and through the years has progressed to £150,000 ultra sound scanner:

• Cooling Cap to prevent or reduce the loss of hair during the chemotherapy process.
• Faxitron X Ray machine to enable microscopic clarity for breast biopsies, lumpectomies and pathology samples.
• DC Digital Camera, used in conjunction with the Faxitron, to create magnified images and provides ultra high resolution.
• Medical Fridge and Temperature Chart for the Chemotherapy Department to ensure that all treatment is kept at exactly the correct temperature.
• Tattooing Equipment, to aid reconstruction of the nipple. Surgical techniques for this process are limited and often unsuccessful. This state of the art technique provides women with another option to boost self confidence post surgery.
• Mobile Mammography Trailer, enabling up to ten women an hour to be x-rayed in their local area liposuction Unit. This means that the disease can be caught early, increasing chance of successful treatment.
• Headlight for precise lighting when the breast cancer surgeon is operating.
• Ultra Sound Scanner, providing 3D Ultra sound Tomography which is the “gold standard” for diagnosing breast disease.
• Digital Mammogram Unit, high resolution picture, higher in contrast which is better for women who have dense breast tissue and are under the age of 50 or pre-menopausal.