£24k donation from former Goodyear workers will help with clinical cancer trial

The 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund has donated £24,748 to purchase six laparoscopes – highly specialised camera scopes – for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

It is part of a larger gift of over £65,000 to Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity this year to support its patients and families.

The union's benevolence funds come from sick pay left over from when the Goodyear tyre factory closed in 2017.

Over the last few years, the fund has supported many worthwhile causes in and around Wolverhampton and the Black Country, but the hospital is the first Birmingham-based charity it has supported.

The scopes the charity was able to purchase were requested by Dr Max Pachl, a world leader in paediatric keyhole surgery in children with cancer.

Dr Pachl is a pioneer in the use of Indocyanine Green (ICG) dye to improve surgical outcomes for young patients.

When viewed under near infrared fluorescent light, the dye turns cancerous tissue bright green, helping our surgeons identify and remove all of the cancer.

ICG dye can also identify cancerous tissue with a patient’s lymph nodes.

Improved surgical results can reduce the need for harsh chemotherapy and radiotherapy, greatly improving the overall treatment plan and long-term health of children with cancer.

ICG dye is regularly used in adult patients but is only now being tested for use in children.

The dye has been proven to have little to no side effects and is being found to be incredibly effective in children.

After successfully completing a clinical trial on patients with kidney cancer, Dr Pachl is now leading a new clinical trial to test the use of ICG dye in a number of other types of cancer.

The scopes the former Goodyear factory workers purchased will be used regularly within this trial.

Nicole Hermanns, head of philanthropy at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: "We’re so thankful to the 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund for their generous donation.

"The addition of these scopes will make such a difference to our surgical teams and the clinical trial, which ultimately aims to create better treatments for our patients.”

Dr Pachl said: “We are indebted to all the ex-Goodyear workers who have been able to contribute to funding these laparoscopes, which will allow us to deliver world class surgical cancer treatments to more of our patients.”

Cyril Barrett, from the 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund, added: “We’re thrilled to be able to support Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity in this way.

"Over the last few years, we have funded over 140 projects, as we aim to create a lasting legacy for our workers, and what better legacy can there be, than to invest in our children and ensure they get the best treatment available at this world-leading hospital.”