Jordi Evans has spent the past six years working in clinical trials and is so inspired by the progress being made in cancer drug development across the North East that she is taking on her first marathon to raise funds for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity.
Funds raised will support the construction of the £30 million Sir Bobby Robson Institute, a world-leading cancer trials hub set to deliver innovative treatments for patients across the North East, North Yorkshire and North Cumbria.
Aged 29, Jordi is a Clinical Trials Pharmacy Technician at Newcastle Hospitals and is originally from Wrexham.
Now living in West Jesmond, Jordi and her pharmacy colleagues play a vital role in delivering cancer drug trials to patients at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle.
Jordi explains:
“My job is to help set up and assess the feasibility of studies, then ensure their general maintenance to ensure patients get their drugs on time.
“It’s a privilege to do this job because, like far too many people, my family has been affected by cancer, so I know at first hand the fear caused by hearing that diagnosis.
“However, I’m lucky to see at first hand that treatment options are progressing every day thanks to clinical trials, and I want to help things move even faster by fundraising to help build the Sir Bobby Robson Institute.”
The Sir Bobby Robson Institute will provide patient-centred cancer care and research to find new ways to detect and treat cancer.
Construction work began this week and, thanks to the generosity of donors, supporters and fundraisers, more than £26.5 million has been raised to support the project, including an incredible £2 million donation from The Barbour Foundation.
Support is now crucial to raise the final funds to complete and fully equip the Institute by 2027.
Jordi works closely with both the early phase trials team, currently based in the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, and the late phase and haematology cancer trials team, based at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care.
Both trials teams are headed up by Professor Ruth Plummer and will come together when they relocate to the Sir Bobby Robson Institute.
Jordi adds:
“When I moved up to the North East 18 months ago my mam had just finished treatment for breast cancer. At the time, I didn’t know what area I’d be specialising at Newcastle Hospitals and when I heard I’d be working in cancer drug trials it felt like it was meant to be.
“I’ve never run a marathon before and the preparation has been pretty time consuming. I did ballet up until I was 18 but this is a very different kind of training.
“I recently did the Middlesbrough Half Marathon and that went really well. In fact, I got a personal best, which I wasn’t expecting! And I’ve been lucky so far to avoid injury and have great support from my colleagues, who are all behind me.
“We have a Newcastle Hospitals Pharmacy Park Run team and we’re trying to do a different run every week. We’re all of us really excited about the increased delivery of clinical trials that the new Sir Bobby Robson Institute will bring and I’m proud to be doing my little bit to help fundraise for it.”
Professor Ruth Plummer, Director of the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, says:
“Jordi and the rest of the pharmacy team are an integral part of the work we do to offer trials and develop better treatments for patients.
“It is fantastic and a perfect example of her dedication to her job that she is running her first marathon to support “Sir Bobby’s Last and Greatest team”.
Jordi will be running in the London Marathon on 26 April. To sponsor her efforts for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation please visit, https://www.justgiving.com/page/jordi-evans-13?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL.
For Sir Bobby Robson Institute fundraising enquiries please contact Kate Bradley Kate.bradley14@nhs.net or call 0191 213 7235.
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