By Tim Saunders on
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has reported a huge increase in donations since the death of Bobby Robson last week.
Sir Bobby passed away after a 15 year battle with cancer on Friday, and Liz Luff – a spokeswoman for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation – has said that the donations match the outpouring of grief for the football legend.
“We have had an awful lot of people getting in touch,” she told the Lowestoft Journal. “Everybody wants to do something. Everybody wants to make a contribution, large or small. They want to do something to remember Sir Bobby, not just because of football, but beyond. If he did anything he did it wholeheartedly. People have been giving all this money. It’s extremely appreciated and will be extremely useful.”
Robson had been diagnosed with cancer 5 times in the last 15 years. He created the Foundation not only to provide early cancer detection and treatments, but also to provide clinical trials of new drugs at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care in the Freeman Hospital in the UK. Established in 2008, the initial goal of the Foundation was to raise £500,000 to fund equipment for a cancer research centre being built in the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, but soon grew to encompass much more.
“The thing with the Sir Bobby Robson cancer trials research centre is that patients go to the centre and will volunteer to take part in the trials of new drugs or new treatment,” said Luff. “Largely speaking, those are patients for whom existing cancer treatments haven’t worked. They want to feel like they are doing something. They want to help in the long-term fight against cancer, a lot of the time knowing that won’t benefit them. Bobby was one of those people. People who have cancer, and who have that selflessness, identify with Bobby.”
To make a donation, visit the official website.
Copyright © 2009 Look to the Stars
