Patient makes surprise donation to help others undergoing radiotherapy at South Tees hospital

A former patient has donated more than £10,000 to support people with cancer undergoing pelvic radiotherapy. Pam Wickham surprised staff in the radiotherapy department at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough with a new bladder scanner system, to say thank you for the care she received while undergoing treatment there.

In July 2022, she was diagnosed with metastatic poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary. Her inguinal lymph nodes were impacted and, following investigations, doctors believed the original cancer source to be somewhere in her pelvic organs.

Wickham underwent 11 rounds of chemotherapy in 11 weeks, along with 25 radiotherapy sessions in the last five weeks of treatment. It was during this time she first experienced the bladder scanners, as they were used to quickly assess bladder volume prior to beginning treatment, avoiding the need for extra scans. In January 2023, Wickham was able to ring the end of treatment bell. Having witnessed the importance of the machines firsthand, she knew how much the department would benefit from an additional one. She contacted Our Hospitals Charity, the fund-raising arm of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to arrange the surprise donation.

Fund-raising manager Lisa Meehan said: “Staff are praised for always going above and beyond their duty of care and the patients often tell us about the special bonds they have formed while undergoing treatment. So, when Pam contacted us about making this amazing donation, we just knew we had to make it special.”

Wickham worked closely with Meehan and radiotherapy service manager Claire Huntley to keep the donation a secret until she and her husband Mark arrived at the department with the new scanner, to surprise the staff who had cared for her. She said: “The bladder scanner is just a small price to pay for all the wonderful care given to me by the wonderful staff at James Cook. I cannot thank them enough for always treating me as a person and not as a cancer. Their professionalism and expertise have given me back my life.”

Picture: Mark and Pam Wickham present members of the radiotherapy department with the new bladder scanner.

Read this report on the front page of the October 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.