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Trust welcomes new Patron
7 December 2009Lord Darzi, one of the world’s leading surgeons, has become a Patron of the Meningitis Trust - the only UK charity to offer a range of free professional services and community support to people affected by meningitis.
Lord Darzi contracted meningitis as a child, and although he made a full recovery he knows that he is one of the lucky ones. Many people die from meningitis, and more still are left with devastating after-effects which impact the rest of their lives.
“The Meningitis Trust’s work demonstrates the importance of providing support to individuals and families affected by this disease,” Lord Darzi remarked. “Thanks to the support of donors and volunteers, the Trust has improved quality of life and has helped to educate the public about meningitis—services I am proud to support as a Patron of the Trust.”
Sue Davie, Chief Executive of the Meningitis Trust, commented, “It is a real honour for the Meningitis Trust to have the Patronage of someone like Lord Darzi. He is held in high esteem within the medical profession and I hope that he will be able to bring added credibility and kudos to our work.”
Lord Darzi is a Professor of Surgery at Imperial College London, Chair of Surgery at the Institute of Cancer Research, and an Honorary Consultant Surgeon at Imperial College Hospital NHS Trust and the Royal Marsden Hospital. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Health for two years until July 2009, and has recently been appointed Global Ambassador for Health and Life Sciences.
Each year, the Meningitis Trust helps approximately 20,000 meningitis-sufferers rebuild their lives thorough a unique range of professional services and community-based support. With as many as 500,000 people living in the UK who have had either viral or bacterial meningitis, the charity’s ongoing work, funded by voluntary contributions, remains vital.
“There will always be meningitis and the work our skilled, competent team does will be needed long into the future,’ Sue Davie observed. “Peoples’ lives are destroyed by meningitis, but the Trust is here for them.”
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