The Kath Walker Radiosurgery Suite was opened last week (Friday 4 August) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, by Kath’s daughter, Rebecca Walker.
Kath headed the hospital’s Radiotherapy department until November 2015 when she and partner, Andy Virco, died in a helicopter crash on a glacier in New Zealand during a sight-seeing trip. Andy was due to celebrate his 50th birthday within days of the accident.
Thanks to support from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, the refurbished suite includes a state-of-the-art machine – called the TrueBeam™ STx with Novalis® Radiosurgery – meaning CUH is now one of 17 specialist centres in the UK that deliver a highly advanced form of radiotherapy, called Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS).
The dedicated radiosurgery program, from America’s Varian Medical Systems and Germany’s Brainlab, allows the radiation to be administered in fewer high-dose treatments than traditional therapy, which can help preserve healthy tissue.
It will benefit between 150-200 patients in the East of England suffering with conditions such as benign and malignant brain tumours, who previously would have had to travel to London and beyond for this treatment.
The light and airy suite is complemented by colourful artwork created from photographs that Andy took on previous travels with Kath in the UK and abroad..
Rebecca, known to her friends as Bex, said: “The naming of this centre is a magnificent tribute to mum, who was dedicated to her work, her staff and the many patients she helped during her career.
“If she were here today she would be absolutely thrilled to see all the advanced equipment and proud that Addenbrooke’s retains its position as a world leader in the treatment of life-threatening cancers.”
Operation Head of Radiotherapy, Kevin Skilton, who worked with Kath for more than nine years, added: “The opening of this new suite is fantastic news for patients and the staff who work in Radiotherapy. We would like to thank Rebecca for coming along to today and bringing back so many fond memories of her mum, who worked at the hospital for 23 years. We would also like to thank the trust for its support.”
Trust spokesman, Dr Hugo Ford, clinical lead for cancer services added: “We were delighted to support the creation of a suite that will not only help many more patients, but also keep alive the memory of Kath who was deeply loved and respected by staff and patients, and who contributed so much to the success of our department and the hospital.”
Image: Rebecca Walker unveiling the plaque.
About Cambridge University Hospitals
Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) is one of the largest and best known hospitals in the country, delivering high-quality patient care through Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie Hospitals. CUH is a leading national centre for specialist treatment for rare or complex conditions and a university teaching hospital with a worldwide reputation.
CUH is a key partner in Cambridge University Health Partners (CUHP), one of only six academic health science centres in the UK, and is at the heart of the development of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC), which brings together on one site world-class biomedical research, patient care and education. As part of the Campus development, Papworth Hospital is creating a bespoke, purpose-built hospital, and AstraZeneca is building a new global R&D centre and corporate headquarters. The Campus is one of the government’s 11 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) comprehensive biomedical research centres.
About Varian Medical Systems
TrueBeam is a trademark of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. Varian, of Palo Alto, California, focuses energy on saving lives by equipping the world with advanced technology for fighting cancer and for X-ray imaging. The company is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiation. The company provides comprehensive solutions for radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is also a premier supplier of X-ray imaging components, including tubes, digital detectors, cables and connectors as well as image processing software and workstations for use in medical and industrial settings, as well as for security and non-destructive testing. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 7,700 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.
About Brainlab
Brainlab, headquartered in Munich, develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology, enabling access to advanced, less invasive patient treatments.
Core products center on information-guided surgery, radiosurgery, precision radiation therapy, digital operating room integration, and information and knowledge exchange. Brainlab technology powers treatments in radiosurgery and radiotherapy as well as numerous surgical fields including neurosurgery, orthopedic, ENT, CMF, spine and trauma.
Privately held since its formation in Munich, Germany in 1989, Brainlab has more than 11,800 systems installed in over 100 countries. Brainlab employs 1,370 people in 18 offices worldwide, including 450 Research & Development engineers, who form a crucial part of the product development team.
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