New Cancer Charity Offers Support To Patients On Road To Recovery

Published on: 17 Jul, 2025
Updated on: 17 Jul, 2025

Trustees of the new charity: From left, Noel Baker, patient trustee; Maddy Hewish, medical trustee; Stewart Payne, patient trustee; Patricia Wilson, new patient trustee; Fiona Huddy, medical trustee (chair); David Paterson, new patient trustee; Anna McGuire, medical trustee; Nima Abbassi-Ghadi, medical trustee. Picture: Jason Blackwood

A new charity that builds on the excellence of the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s treatment of oesophago-gastric cancer has just been launched with the aim of supporting patients through one of the most complex of illnesses.

The charity called PrOGress was launched on Sunday (July 13) with a fund-raising afternoon at Gate Street Barn, near Bramley.

Patient trustee Stewart Payne at the charity’s launch. Picture: Jason Blackwood

Guest speaker was Mr Nima Abbassi-Ghadi, consultant oesophago-gastric surgeon at the Royal Surrey in Guildford and one of the charity’s medical trustees.

The charity says oesophago-gastric cancer brings many challenges. The tumour usually presents itself in the oesophagus (gullet) or at its junction with the stomach. It is often detected late, by which time surgery may not be an option. If it is, the procedure lasts anything up to 12 hours.

Only around 15 per cent of patients survive for more than five years from diagnosis. The charity says that for patients who do make it through, it is life-changing and places big demands on those who care for them once discharged.

The Royal Surrey is one of the UK’s leading medical centres with the specialist skills and knowledge to treat this cancer. It brings major physical, emotional, practical and sometimes financial difficulties, so improving the support that can be offered is crucial, as is increasing knowledge of symptoms.

Four medical experts – each a specialist in their own field in the treatment of oesophago-gastric cancer at the Royal Surrey – and four patient survivors have combined as trustees of the new charity aimed at increasing knowledge and providing advice and practical support.

Consultant surgeon Nima Abbassi-Ghadi (left) with a colleague Picture: Jason Blackwood

Treatment requires a multi-disciplinary approach and Mr Abbassi-Ghadi outlined the advances made in looking at ways of early detection and robotic procedures replacing open surgery.

He said OG cancer research is poorly funded compared to other more common cancers and emphasised that much more needs to be done to support people going through treatment and the long road to recovery. He said he hoped the new charity would go a long way to addressing these needs.

Sir Jeremy Hunt, Conservative MP for Godalming and Ash, who has been closely involved with campaigning and fund-raising for the new cancer centre at the Royal Surrey, has offered his support to PrOGress.

He told them: “I am so sorry I cannot be with you for the launch of your amazing new charity. Cancer is such a cruel disease – most of us have been touched by it in some way and the more we can do to raise awareness and fund research the better. Good luck and best wishes.”

More details can be found at www.progresscharity.org