Durham Community Fundraising for Sir Bobby Foundation

When an unexpected cancer diagnosis shook a Durham family, they found their whole community rallying around with support when they decided to fundraise for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Aidan Jackson, aged 31 from Belmont, was diagnosed with testicular cancer following investigations into a kidney infection.

The school sports coach was in a lot of pain and a scan at Durham University Hospital revealed he had stage 2 cancer in his right testicle and behind his kidney.

He was then taken to Sunderland Hospital, where they removed the testicle, and then to the Freeman Hospital’s Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Newcastle for specialist treatment.

Aidan’s parents, Susan and Andrew Jackson, were on holiday when the bad news came.

Andrew, a caretaker, explains: “Everything seemed to happen so quickly. We had a call from our middle son to say Aidan was so poorly he’d taken him to the hospital in Durham and they’d given him antibiotics for the kidney infection.

“They did a scan too and thank God they did because without that we wouldn’t have had a clue about the cancer even now because he’d had no symptoms.

“This was in late September and it was a surreal experience for us all. The diagnosis came absolutely out of the blue.”

Susan Jackson, Aidan’s mam, explains how an intense approach to his treatment was recommended by his consultant at the Freeman Hospital, Dr Christoph Oing.

Susan, a childminder, says: “Dr Oing said that, taking into account Aidan’s age and fitness, he could take quite an intense approach to the cancer treatment.

“So he had three, three-week treatment cycles, which unfortunately made him really ill. Aidan had to stay in hospital a lot and we have nothing but praise for the staff at the Freeman, who were amazing.

“He was given three different drugs, which were standard treatment but given in a more intense time frame than usual and, by the end of January, he had the all clear. The relief was incredible.

“At that point, we wanted to do something to say thank you for the care Aidan had received and, to give a little something back, we organised a fundraiser for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped us. The support was overwhelming.”

With the help of many of Aidan’s friends and family, an amazing £6,677 was raised with a fun evening, Aidan’s Ball, at the Belmont Working Men’s Club.

Susan adds: “Aidan’s on the club committee and the whole club was really supportive when they heard what we wanted to do.

“It was amazing really, the whole community came together to help us. The club paid for room and the singer, and Aidan’s friends helped decorate the room.

“Aidan virtually sold all 200 tickets himself and they flew out the door. In the end, we received so many raffle and auction prizes that Aidan decided to do a second event at the club. That was a pool and darts night with his friends and it raised £450 on its own.”

The money raised will help build the Sir Bobby Robson Institute, a world leading cancer drug trials centre for the region.

Construction of the £30m institute has just begun on the site of the Freeman Hospital and, when completed, it will enable ground-breaking cancer treatment that will directly benefit around 3.5million people living in the North East, North Cumbria and North Yorkshire, as well as making a global impact.

Funded by The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, thanks to the generosity of donors, supporters and fundraisers, more than £26.5 million has already been raised to support the project.

Support is now crucial to raise the final funds to complete and fully equip the Sir Bobby Robson Institute by 2027.

For Sir Bobby Robson Institute fundraising enquiries please contact Kate Bradley Kate.bradley14@nhs.net or call 0191 213 7235.

For more information about The Sir Bobby Robson Institute, please visit: www.sirbobbysgreatestteam.co.uk.