A DETERMINED Morrisons employee has helped raise thousands of pounds for a state of the art surgical robotic system at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital.
Brian Wilkes, who works on the tills at Morrison’s Bromsgrove store, has been driving the campaign to bring Rory the Robot to the Alex since his own treatment for prostate cancer in 2015.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year, and 77 year-old Brian is continuing on his mission to bring the potentially life-changing equipment to the Alexendra Hospital.
Rory the Robot is surgical robotic system which allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgery, operating through a few small cuts instead of a large open incision and the Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust need to raise £1.6 million to bring the machinery to Worcestershire.
Brian said: “My brother was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015, which prompted me to get myself checked.
“In February 2015, I was diagnosed with it too, and after my treatment was finished, I found out about Rory and decided to do something to help the Alex.”
During the past 18 months, Brian has worked tirelessly, campaigning and raising both money and awareness for the cause and has so far secured a donation of £25k from Morrisons – the largest ever single amount they have gifted to charity – and added another £15k to the pot with bag-packs and bucket collections in stores throughout Worcestershire and Herefordshire,
Close friends of Brian and loyal Morrisons customers, Jean and Harry Yale from Droitwich, have been following Brian’s story and aiding his fundraising efforts throughout.
Jean, who’s own family have been affected by prostate cancer, said: “We shop at the Bromsgrove store every week and always come to Brian’s checkout – even if he’s got a queue.
“He has achieved so much in the last year – he is so motivated – the absolute driving force behind the campaign. We’ve been helping out at bag-packs along the way and Brian just puts hours and hours of work into it. It’s wonderful because he is not only raising money, but also the profile of the illness.
“It really goes to show that one person can make a difference, if they are willing to put the work in.”
With Rory’s assistance, patients could benefit from less pain, minimal blood loss, quicker recovery and reduced complications and Brian is determined to make this available to those with prostate cancer in the area.
Brian added: “Rory performs the prostatectomy via keyhole-type surgery, meaning that it is far less invasive and that the recovery time of the patient is dramatically reduced,” he said.
“This in invaluable to not only the patient, but the hospital too, because their staff and resources can be put to better use.”
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