London Regional Group – and meeting –

Following the successful creation of local groups in Exeter, Oxford, Cambridge and Essex, we are now aiming to start a local London group.

LONDON Local Group – open to all MDS patients in London

The first meeting will take place:

DATE:    Monday 30^th January 2012

TIME:    1600 – 1800hrs

Venue:    Dinwoodie Multifunction, Ground floor, Cicely Saunders Institute, Bessemer Road SE5 9PJ

(Opposite Bessemer Wing – Kings College Hospital)

For this first meeting, we have also invited Aplastic Anaemia patients.  AA and MDS are different diseases; however there are some overlapping similarities in these disease groups. The patient population at King’s College Hospital is unique in this respect and therefore a joint support group will be valuable in offering help for these patients and their carers, hence the reason behind setting up this support group.

This initial meeting has been arranged to discuss ideas, the importance of having AA/MDS support groups; and the beneficial aspects for patients and their families, e.g., Future research and current developments in the different disease groups.

Any other subjects you think we should talk about in future meetings can also be covered.

In addition to the above, we will also use this time to plan future support groups and establish dates, times and frequency and talk about practicalities of arranging these meetings.

We have arranged for Prof Rodney Taylor – Chairperson of the MDS UK Patient Support Group, to speak at the meeting also.  He can give great insight on how support groups benefit patients and their families and answer any queries you may have.

Please confirm your attendance as soon as possible either via email or telephone – with AA CNS Nana – or via our main office 0207 733 7558.

You are welcome to arrive early and have a cup of tea in the Macmillan Centre on the Ground Floor of the same building.

Please feel free to bring family members and/or friends.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Yours Sincerely,

Nana Benson-Quarm

Clinical Nurse Specialist -Aplastic Anaemia

Tel: 020 3299 7663

Email: nana.benson-quarm@nhs.net