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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. | | | FACTS | | Currently, around 40,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Rates of occurrence of breast cancer in the UK have been rising for many years. Scientists believe that around half of these cases could, in principle, be prevented, if the causes of breast cancer were better understood. Although only about 200 men in the UK develop breast cancer each year - men are proportionately more likely to die of the disease, with about 100 deaths each year. More information about breast cancer is available by calling the Breast Cancer Care helpline on 0808 800 6000 | | | PRINT THIS PAGE | | | View print friendly version of this page.. | |  |
| | Derriford Hospital's theatre staff posed for a series of photographs to compile the 2005 calendar - some heartwarming and quite artistic, many more akin to Carry on Doctor!
Now the theatre staff hope to sell enough calendars to raise £5,000 for the Primrose Breast Unit at the Hospital. | | Lisa Brodribb messing around between shoots - you'll have to buy the calendar to see where the yolks end up. |
The project has been led by Theatre Sister, Lisa Brodribb, who has battled through breast cancer herself. "I'm a 38-year old wife and mother of two, who with the help of breast surgeons, plastic surgeons, oncologists and some fantastic nurses, survived breast cancer," she said. "Having been through this myself I just wanted to give something back to the breast unit. I wasn't made to feel special because I was a member of staff at the hospital - everyone there is made to feel special. Everyone there had time for me and their concern and care made the experience much more bearable." Lisa and her colleagues deliberately chose not to go down the usual route and bare all for the camera.  | | General Surgeon Tony Lambert doing his impression of Father Christmas |
"Most patients don't get to see the theatre staff who care for them whilst they are having their operations," explained Lisa.
"We have a great bunch of caring people working here, people with fantastic personalities, and I just wanted to bring them to life in the calendar. I wanted people to see they are not just surgeons, they are avid rugby fans or whatever." Lisa has been a theatre nurse at Derriford Hospital for the past 10 years and judging by the photographs the staff had a lot of fun taking part. Now Lisa is urging people to part with a fiver and buy the 2005 calendar - perhaps in time for Christmas. If you would like to buy a copy of the calendar, call the Press and Communications Office at Derriford Hospital on 01752 763300. |
