ANDREW Lodge, president of Farnham Lions Club and chairman of the Lions International Blood Research Appeal (LIBRA), recently celebrated the official opening of a new Ambulatory Transplant Unit at King’s College Hospital, London.

Mr Lodge, who is also the owner of Andrew Lodge estate agents in Downing Street, was joined by MP Nick Boles who was the very first patient to be treated in the unit, along with Dr Victoria Potter who oversees it.

LIBRA heard how the MP had received a bone marrow transplant for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2017 and is now cancer-free.

Substantial funding from LIBRA, raised by Lions clubs and the public, covered the cost of equipping this specialist unit.

LIBRA has supported the hospital since 1976 and raises vital funds for the haematology department.

The new facility treats a range of malignant haematological conditions including myeloma (bone marrow cancer), lymphoma (lymphatic cancer) and leukaemia (blood cancer).

The unit is used to deliver bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy in an outpatient setting, enabling patients to remain in their homes or hotel close by rather than requiring a hospital admission.

Dr Victoria Potter, consultant haematologist and transplant director at King’s College Hospital said: “Patients have told us they would rather avoid a hospital admission if possible, which is why we have developed this new unit.

“When it is deemed safe for a patient to receive care as an outpatient they come in for treatment, are closely monitored and then are able to go home later the same day. This will enhance the care we provide and will allow us to treat even more patients.

“We are very grateful to LIBRA for funding the new unit, and we are delighted that Mr Boles has come back to King’s to officially open it after his successful treatment here.”

Andrew Lodge, LIBRA chairman and president of Farnham Lions, added: “LIBRA trustees were delighted to cover the cost of specialist equipment for this fantastic new unit which is benefiting many patients. We would like to thank all our supporters for their fundraising efforts and the Lions Clubs International Foundation who provided a generous grant.

“The official opening has been a very special occasion, marking a great achievement. It is wonderful to know that MP Nick Boles received lifesaving treatment here and there will no doubt be many more patients who follow in his footsteps. We hope more people will support LIBRA and our website is libralionscharity.org.”

LIBRA provided more than £77,000 to enable the hospital to equip the unit. King’s is a leading national and international centre for the diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers.

The hospital has the largest bone marrow transplant programme in the UK and performs more than 200 transplants a year.

King’s is also an international centre for research into and the treatment of myeloid leukaemias, lymphomas and myeloma, and have the first immune gene therapy programme for leukaemia approved by the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC).

The hospital carries out numerous national and international studies, which gives patients access to innovative treatments.