THE Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) has taken delivery of a new vein finder machine thanks to the generosity of Sherrie Dobson from Chigwell, Essex, who has helped to fundraise £365 and personally donated £5,365 to The Princess Alexandra Hospital Charity.

Sherrie has been battling various forms of cancer for 25 years, including breast and bowel cancer; and has undergone chemotherapy treatment and had many blood tests during this time. She has been under the care of various cancer specialist teams over the years, but her veins have become quite difficult to locate, and Sherrie has always appreciated the patience of staff at the hospital. 

PAHT only has one vein finder machine for the entire Radiology department which means it’s not always available when needed. So, Sherrie, who wanted to give something back to help other patients and the staff too, decided to set about funding another one. 

The new vein finder machine has undergone its final tests and is now being used by the radiology team for patients undergoing imaging in the department. 

Natalie Tarrant, head of the PAH Charity said: “A very heartfelt thank you to Sherrie for her most generous donation and fundraising efforts to purchase this piece of specialist equipment, which will be put to very good use to help patients whose veins are difficult to locate.”

Liz Penn, general manager for radiology said: “I would like to extend a very big thank you to Sherrie for this considerably generous donation. This amazing piece of equipment will not only help improve the patient experience, but will support faster diagnostics too.”

Sherrie said: “Chemotherapy treatment and blood tests over the years have made my veins very difficult to locate, and I am always so grateful to the staff at PAHT for their patience. 

“This specialist piece of equipment will not only help staff, but will mean people like myself, who have this issue with their veins, can have their imaging taken much more easily. Thank you to all the staff at PAHT for all you do.”

Further information about the PAH Charity can be found at www.pah.nhs.uk/charity