Arthur’s legacy

Arthur Smith, from Halesowen, was inspired to leave a gift in his Will after his neighbours’ grandson, James Crowley, had an incredible cancer treatment journey at our hospital.

James was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukaemia in November 2014. He spent the next two-to-three years enduring numerous treatments and was often in hospital for weeks at a time. James endured a number of treatments including chemotherapy and a six-week-long CAR T cell treatment, a highly complex therapy where a patient’s own immune system cells are reprogrammed and used to target their cancer cells, which ultimately proved to be a success. He is now doing well and is off all medication, but still visits our hospital every month for an infusion of haemoglobin, which he will need indefinitely.  

Although Arthur and James never had the chance to meet in person, Arthur followed James’s journey closely and expressed wanting to make a difference to children going through similar cancer treatments. It was because of this Arthur made the incredible decision to leave a gift to us in his Will.  

Gifts left to the charity in Wills have a big impact on our patients and their treatments. In Arthur’s case, his generosity and passion to help other children, like James, meant our Oncology Department was able to purchase some CADD Infusion Pumps to support chemotherapy treatment and improve the patient experience.  

CADD Infusion Pumps enable ‘ambulatory chemotherapy’, where the chemotherapy can be given at the child’s home, rather than in hospital. At present, children are required to come to the hospital on a regular basis where chemotherapy is administered intravenously (IV). This can be cumbersome for the families having to travel to and from the hospital, wait for the child to be put on an IV and then for the treatment to be completed. The family are often out the house for several hours.   

However, the purchase of the pumps and the appropriate parent training will allow some eligible children to have treatment at home. This is revolutionary for oncology clinical practice and, most importantly, vastly improves the patient experience. Being able to receive treatment in the familiar surroundings of their own home provides the child with some sort of normality and comfort, in what can often be a stressful experience.   

Jackie, James’s grandmother, and the family were able to work with the charity to ensure Arthur’s legacy gift was used in a way that would make a lasting impact on children with cancer. Arthur will be remembered for years to come, as the hospital and charity continue to provide the highest level of care and strive to offer the best possible treatments for children and families in need of support.   

Jackie said: “We’re thrilled that Arthur’s gift has been used to purchase these innovative pumps. It will make a massive difference to so many families in the future.”