These are just some of the headlines we see frequently and looking around our companions I am sure we will all know of someone whose family has been affected by this. So when the “Rory the Robot Appeal “was put forward to the Provincial Grand Chapter Charity for a possible grant it was met with enthusiasm by the Trustees.

Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) provides a keyhole option to the traditional open procedure of a prostatectomy. Instead of an 8-10 inch incision with subsequent blood loss, a lengthy uncomfortable recovery and the risk of impotence & incontinence; this computerised model precisely makes just 5 pinpoint small cuts. This enables a faster recovery – usually a discharge after just 24 hours – and much reduced blood loss.

Worcestershire Hospital, now, is one of the few in the country to have a Robot, meaning a much-reduced need for patients, who opt for RAS, to travel many miles for their treatment. However the cost of “running” the Robot is still very high, at present, so the Appeal is raising funds towards the running costs – currently around £130,000 a year over the next 5 years.

In Worcestershire alone there are over 2,500 men surviving prostate cancer at any one time, with about 500 new cases diagnosed every year.

The MEGS, E.Comp Colin Brown was pleased to present a cheque from the Provincial Grand Chapter Charity fund to Nicola Langford – Fundraising Officer for the Rory the Robot Appeal,