“I had lifesaving surgery at The Royal Marsden, so I left a gift in my Will as a way of saying thank you”
After successful surgery to remove a rare tumour, grandfather and retired bookshop owner, Philip, decided to leave a gift that would make a lasting difference. This is his story.
When Philip, 76, was diagnosed with a sacrococcygeal teratoma, a rare tumour that develops at the base of the spine, he underwent surgery at The Royal Marsden under the care of Mr Shahnawaz Rasheed.
Following successful treatment, Philip decided to include a gift in his Will to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. This was his way of saying thank you for the exceptional care he received, and to help others in the future.
“Prior to diagnosis, I hadn’t been in a hospital for 50 years as I had always been fit and healthy. I did a lot of sports, such as athletics, horse riding, water-skiing and tennis. I was a skier since the age of 15, throughout Europe, in California and even Alaska. In terms of my career, I worked as cabin crew flying all around the world before leaving to work as a Marketing Executive in the Seychelles Islands. I also had my own bookshop business. I opened my first book shop in 1978 in Oxford and I had nine book shops in total, as well as two overseas in Amsterdam and Copenhagen!”
“Following some dreadful symptoms and weight loss, I was sent to my local hospital, but they had no idea what was wrong. I decided to get a second opinion and was referred to The Royal Marsden – and they saved my life.”
“I don’t believe I would have survived if I hadn’t been referred to The Royal Marsden”
Philip was diagnosed within 30 minutes with a sacrococcygeal teratoma. An indication of its rarity is that Mr Rasheed – Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at The Royal Marsden – usually only sees six people a year with it.
“It was very unusual, and it would have been growing from birth – it was on my coccyx. As an infant, I had an external growth that was removed at my local hospital at the time, which left a permanent scar on my left buttock. However, when they removed it, part of it must have been pushed back into my body and had been growing throughout my life. At the point of diagnosis, it was 35cm. It was pushing onto my bladder and bowel, which was causing horrible symptoms.”
“I don’t believe I would have survived if I hadn’t been referred to The Royal Marsden. “Dr Rasheed performed the surgery, which went very well. It was basically like removing a mini rugby ball.”
“The care I received was wonderful”
“I return to The Royal Marsden to be scanned every year and everything has been fine so far. I’ve eased back into my activities; I can’t do everything I did before, but I’m swimming and I cycle and walk.”
After seeing a social media post from the Charity, Philip was inspired to leave a gift in his Will. “It was straightforward and a wonderful way to say thank you,” he said. “I’m pleased that I’ve left this gift and hope it goes some way to helping others one day.”
“The care at The Royal Marsden is wonderful, from the surgeon to the nurses to the people who scan me every year.”
Three ways gifts in Wills have changed lives at The Royal Marsden
Thanks to people like Philip who leave a gift in their Will, the Charity has been able to fund state-of-the-art facilities and equipment at The Royal Marsden, which makes a vital difference to patients at the hospital and beyond:
- The £2.6 million West Wing Clinical Research Centre opened in 2014. The facilities enable day-care patients on early-phase and late-phase clinical trials to be together in one space.
- The National Institute for Health and Care Research Centre for Molecular Pathology in Sutton, which opened in 2012, brings clinicians and scientists under one roof to better understand the different types of cancer, and develop personalised treatments.
- The first CyberKnife machine at The Royal Marsden was installed in 2011. CyberKnife delivers precision radiotherapy to patients using a robotic arm, which manoeuvres to target hard-to-reach tumours.
Find out more about leaving a gift in your Will.
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