When Bert and Muriel Terry heard that Darlington Memorial Hospital is raising money to buy a state of the art MRI scanner, they knew they had to help and immediately wrote a cheque for £1,000. Bert, 87, explains, “I was brought up on a farm in Wensleydale and one of my earliest memories is of an accident I had when I was about three or four. Being a curious little boy, I managed to slice the top off a finger by inserting it in a haymaker. I had to spend quite some time in Darlington Memorial Hospital and remember being very well looked after. There was a real chance I would lose my hand but they managed to save it and most of my finger. All these years later, I’m getting more great care at Darlington where I receive fortnightly blood transfusions. While the treatments, technology and lots of other things have changed beyond recognition since my childhood, the staff have the same attitude all these years later. They’re kind, helpful, cheerful, and give me exceptional care, treating my wife and I like family. Muriel adds, “In making this donation, we’re getting the satisfaction of giving something back to the hospital that has given my husband great care in both his early and later years. We hope the new scanner will help do the same for future generations.”  County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust aims to raise £2.5m to bring the latest MRI scanning technology to both Darlington Memorial and Bishop Auckland Hospitals.

Dr. Elizabeth Loney, Clinical Director for Radiology, explains, “We’re so grateful to Mr and Mrs Terry for their very generous donation which gives a real boost to our appeal.  MRI scans are particularly good at looking at soft tissues and tremendous advances in technology over recent years mean they can be enormously helpful in diagnosing cancer, heart conditions, strokes and many other health issues.  Scans can also give doctors information that previously required the Couple’s Generous Donation to MRI Scanner Appeal patient to undergo surgery or another invasive procedure as part of the investigation of their symptoms. Crucially, MRI scanners don’t use radiation, unlike x-rays.           “MRI scans are so useful we’re doing more of them each year. In the last year alone the number of MRI scans has increased by 11%. “In the past, some patients have been unable to tolerate the noise or have felt claustrophobic during the scan which can result in it being abandoned.

An MRI scan can take between 30 minutes and an hour – much longer than people may realise, so comfort is really important. Modern scanners have a choice of music the patient can listen to – they can even bring their own!  “We’re re-developing the whole MRI suite at Darlington.  Changing and waiting areas will provide greater privacy.  Anaesthetic facilities will be improved which will particularly benefit children who can’t lie still in the scanner.  “An MRI scanner is one of the most expensive pieces of equipment a hospital will ever purchase and we’d love the whole community, including individuals, companies, schools, sports clubs etc, to support us by holding events such as coffee mornings, cake sales and sponsored activities in aid of the Scanner Appeal. Every pound counts. After all, you never know when you or a loved one might need a scan.”

If you would like to make a donation to our MRI appeal or get involved: Visit the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Charity ‘justgiving’ website at: https://www.justgiving.com/cddft Send a cheque to: Cashiers, Darlington Memorial Hospital, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, DL3 6HX. Please make cheques payable to: Co Durham & Darlington NHS FT Charity. Pick up a donation envelope with more information, from one of our waiting areas or wards. Text SCAN02 £10 to 70070 to donate to CDDFT. To discuss fundraising or for more information, ring 01325 743786 or email: cddft.charity@nhs.net Follow us on twitter: @CDDFTCharity Find the charity on Facebook