JOAN and Kevin Knight are pensioners, but felt they had to contribute to the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation’s endoscopy campaign.
“You’ve helped us out so much over the years, we felt we needed to make a contribution,” Mr Knight, aged 90, said.
Long-time locals, Mr Knight has had prostate cancer, emphysema and several colonoscopies while Mrs Knight has undergone two bouts of breast cancer including surgery and other treatment.
“We don’t have a lot of money but this hospital has looked after us for so many years that we felt this was important,” Mrs Knight said.
“It’s not a lot of money – certainly not like the donation that you received from Mr and Mrs Mills, but perhaps if everyone did this, you’d have the money before you know it,” Mr Knight said.
“We heard about this through a story in the paper and felt we had to come in with our little bit,” she said.
This week, they presented Foundation fundraising and marketing manager Glenys Duncombe with a cheque for $1000.
Their gift follows the $75, 000 from fellow locals Leslie and Anne Mills.
Several smaller donations also have been received, meaning $78, 200 has been raised, leaving just $330, 800 still to be raised. The Foundation has set a target of $409, 000 to bring new endoscopy services to Far North patients via five key pieces of equipment.
“We have the experts here who can use the equipment, now we just need the money to get it here and help keep people here for diagnosis and treatment,” Mrs Duncombe said.
Vital stats
• Demand for endoscopy services in FNQ is increasing by at least 10pc a year
• More than 25 endoscopy procedures are performed at Cairns Hospital each day
• About 8200 endoscopic cases were dealt with throughout the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service in 2017-18 (CHHHS annual report)
• Demand is expected to increase to 8400 in the current financial year, with an extra 1000 cases each year after that (CHHHS annual report)
• About one in 23 people will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in their lifetime
• Bowel cancer is the second-most diagnosed cancer in FNQ for both men and women (after prostate and breast cancer)*
• 167 bowel cancer diagnoses in FNQ each year, 57 die each year*
• *Source: Cancer Council Queensland 2007-2011
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