By Tim Saunders on
British actress Gemma Atkinson has helped design a special room at a hospital in Britain to give young cancer sufferers a place to chill out.
The 23-year-old created the room in association with the Teenage Cancer Trust at Manchester’s Christie Hospital, and hopes the facility will give patients an area where they can escape the confines of their ward.
“Teenage Cancer Trust is a great charity, supporting young people with cancer in Chester and throughout the UK,” she said. “I visited the unit in Manchester recently and I was inspired by the patients I met who all had such zest for life. I was amazed by their positive attitudes, despite going through such a terrible ordeal. I want to do as much as I can to support them.”
The room has a rubber floor, making it easier for wheelchairs to move on, and a magnetic wall to make displaying appointment cards and notes easier and safer. It also features a Playstation and iPod jukebox.
“I’m really pleased with it,” said Atkinson. “Hospital wards are quite dull and boring so I went to Christie’s and asked teenagers there what they want. I wasn’t aware teenagers got cancer, but six are diagnosed with it every day.”
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
