Family tackles Snowdon climb for UHNM Charity

A Stoke-on-Trent family have raised more than £4,000 for UHNM Charity by climbing Snowdon.

Amy Griffiths was joined by friends and family to take on the challenge to raise funds for Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Maxillofacial at UHNM after Amy’s Mum, Diane was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma cancer in January 2024.

The family wanted to raise as much money as possible to say thank you to all the staff involved in the care and the support they received.

Amy said: “I originally had the idea to organise the climb when we received Mum’s diagnosis. As a family it was an awful time, so I wanted something positive to come from it. I never expected to raise as much money as we did but we are all so happy that we were able to support the teams looking after my Mum.”

Diane was given life-saving surgery to remove her left eye because of the cancer being behind the tear duct.

Diane said: “I would like to thank the surgeons and their teams that operated on me to remove the cancer, I know this probably sounds dramatic, but you saved my life! The Cancer team has been a fantastic support to me, they are all brilliant and have been so kind to me.

“Finally, I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the Snowdown climb. The weather conditions could not have been worse for you but you did it anyway. Thank you!”

Diane is now cancer free and will undergo further surgeries to prepare her for the fitting of a prosthetic eye.

Yvonne Harvey, UHNM Clinical Nurse Specialist Head and Neck and Thyroid Lead, said: “Members of the ENT and Maxillofacial team would like to thank Diane and her family for their generous donation.

“The money was greatly received and will go towards equipment and resources to help our Head and Neck patients along their own treatment journeys.”

If you would like to fundraise for UHNM Charity visit www.uhnmcharity.org.uk for more information, or call 01782 676444 to speak to one of the UHNM Charity team.