LONDON, Dec. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — On Thursday 14th November 2019, St George’s Hospital Charity and Imperium Investments hosted a Children’s Appeal fundraising dinner at the House of Commons, London.
The charity’s goal is to raise £1.3m towards refurbishing the children’s wards, creating bright and modern spaces that reflect the exceptional care offered by St George’s staff. The children’s departments at St George’s Hospital care for nearly 40,000 children every year from across south west London, Surrey, Sussex and beyond. Each child is looked after by an incredible team of staff, from the smallest babies to teenagers and young adults.
There were around 60 guests in attendance on the evening, including Imperium’s business contacts, actor Chizzy Akudolu from Holby City and Strictly Come Dancing, St George’s Hospital Charity trustees and donors, plus doctors, nurses and staff from St George’s Hospital.
Gemma Phillips, General Manager of Children’s Medicine at St George’s Hospital said:
“We have over 750 dedicated and passionate members of staff who go above and beyond every day with the mission of delivering outstanding care every time. One of the reasons why we’re here today is that we need to do more to promote the incredible, life-saving and quality of life enhancing work we do and to garner support to enable us to complete a much needed refurbishment of our children’s wards and facilities, which unfortunately are rather outdated, and no longer fit for purpose for the delivery of modern healthcare.
Our aim is to ensure that we are able to offer an environment that matches the amazing care, so that we have the look and feel of a modern Children’s hospital, recognising that the environment is critical to our young patient’s experience of being in hospital when they are at their most vulnerable. A modern environment would go a long way towards keeping our young patient’s spirits up, as the dark, dull wards do have an impact on the morale of our patients and their families, particularly those who need to be with us for long time or have a disabilities and complex needs.”
Imperium Investments generously hosted the evening and is a longstanding supporter of St George’s Hospital Charity’s Children’s Appeal. Dmitry Leus, CEO and founder of Imperium Investments, and a philanthropist and patron of St George’s Hospital explained at the event: “It’s a great privilege for me to have opportunity to be part of a team with these extraordinary people helping children who face terrible diseases but remain so brave and inspiring.”
Miles Herne, a former young patient at St George’s, shared his hospital experience with guests. In 2018, Miles was diagnosed with a brain tumour that had grown to the size of a satsuma. After his operation, he was supposed to be out of hospital after a week but finally awoke after four weeks.
Miles was treated on Paediatric Intensive Care (PICU), the step down unit and Nicholls ward, which cares for children aged 0-18 years. Miles explained that the beds and hoists were too small for his 6-foot frame, the lighting too harsh and the wards were far too hot in the summer. Miles chose to fundraise to improve the hospital environment and equipment for future patients. So far, Miles and his family have risen over £74,000, with fundraising activities including sponsored runs, cycles and head-shaves.
Guests at the event also learned more about Megan, a brave young former patient of St George’s Hospital, with a short film telling her story At the age of 14 Megan was diagnosed with leukaemia and was treated at St George’s, spending over a month in hospital. Megan introduced Dmitry Leus and Imperium to St George’s and the work of the charity, which inspired him to fund new equipment and the regeneration of a children’s garden.
The personal stories of Megan and Miles helped to bring to life the important work of St George’s children’s services and the need to refurbish the children’s wards. Over £7,500 was pledged in donations on the night by guests, which will go towards making this a reality.
Founder and CEO of Imperium Investments Dmitry Leus has donated thousands of pounds to London’s St George’s Hospital
A charitable businessman has told of his pride at helping a young cancer sufferer in her recovery – and spoken of his resulting passion for helping sick kids.
Kind Dmitry Leus, 49 – founder and CEO of Imperium Investments – stepped in after learning of 14-year-old Megan’s struggles with blood cancer.
And the father-of-four has since gone on to donate thousands of pounds to St George’s Hospital in Tooting to help sick children just like her, paying for vital equipment and a new garden.
Explaining how he first got involved with Megan’s story he told us: “I have heard from my friend Megan’s story and decided to help in her treatment.” Dmitry was introduced to Megan, “She’s a fearless girl, she wanted to live, she wanted to be with her family, she wanted to live without pain.”
His company Imperium Investments is working with St George’s Hospital to create a safe space for kids to recover from treatment in the open air
Compelled by her struggle and in awe of her bravery, Dmitry asked Megan what she needed: “I don’t need anything.” she said, before adding, “Let’s help St George’s hospital and help the children.”
So that’s exactly what he has set about doing. Dmitry’s first gift to St George’s was the purchase of a ‘Buzzy’ for every child’s hospital bed. These are child-friendly pain distraction devices which make blood tests and injection procedures much quicker and less traumatic for young patients.
Philanthropist Dmitry explained: “I thought about what I could do to help. So we ordered specialised equipment to relieve the pain. We started with 16 devices, and now the doctors tell me they have ordered more than 300.”
Dmitry is now a Patron of St George’s Hospital, as well as being an Ambassador for children’s charity HealthProm.
Since 2018, his company Imperium Investments has been working with St George’s Hospital to create a safe space for kids to recover from treatment in the open air, the new garden will be ready in early 2020.
Now Dmitry wants to encourage more hospitals in the UK to get on board and to reduce as much pain as possible for children, for whom injections and blood tests are a daily burden.
Dmitry believes fencing can teach children a great deal about respect
He said: “If you can help one person, you have the power to help many people.”
Dmitry is also passionate about the sport of fencing and is a former European champion. He is dedicated to bringing the sport to British children, especially those who might not otherwise have access to it.
His latest project – together with Brixton Fencing Club – will make South London the centre of the National and European junior fencing competitions in the autumn and winter of 2019.
Dmitry added that fencing teaches children a lot about respect. He explained: “Fencing teaches us to be respectful of our opponent, and to take note of every step, before you do something.”
“I’ve never seen anyone who is involved in this sport, who does not have a good future.
“I love this sport because of how much it educates us.
Important for kids to have their own goal, to build their lives. This attitude should be introduced in early childhood.
Taking part in this sport has helped me all my life.”
The impact of St George’s Hospital Charity wouldn’t be possible without the support of the donors and fundraisers who assist us in our work.
Imperium Investments and its CEO and Founder Dmitry Leus have an important relationship with St George’s Hospital Charity and with their continued generosity we can help thousands of children every year across our Trust.
Dmitry’s initial gift to St George’s was funding the purchase of a ‘Buzzy’ for every child’s bed at the hospital. These Buzzys are child-friendly pain distraction devices which make blood tests and injection procedures much quicker and less traumatic for our youngest patients.
Now Imperium Investments have pledged their support to the regeneration of the Children’s Garden at St George’s Hospital, which needs some love and attention to make it safe for children to access. Gardens and outside spaces are important for the recovery of all patients, especially children, and our hope is to make the newly-designed garden a fun, engaging and accessible space for children and their loved ones.
We are incredibly grateful for Dmitry’s continued support of St George’s Hospital Charity and our Children’s Appeal. Imperium Investments are dedicated to supporting causes that focus on the child’s physical and emotional wellbeing during times of ill health, providing enjoyment and distraction to boost recovery whilst supporting children and their families.
The evening was hosted by Colonel Bob Stewart MP and supported by Imperium Investments, represented by their director Dmitry Leus.
Imperium Investments, in conjunction with St. George’s Hospital, presented a medical device called the “Buzzy” for children at a charity evening in the Houses of Parliament. It has already helped in 31 million procedures using natural pain relief to reduce the pain of injections or giving blood samples.
The technology applies a cooling pad system which alleviates the pain like cold water cools a burn making the whole treatment process less daunting.
Celebrities who came along to support St George’s and Imperium Investments initiative included Lee Ryan, Stephanie Waring from Hollyoaks, Kurran Pooni and Dan Elahi from The Apprentice and Britain’s Got Talent winner Richard Jones.
Colonel Bob Stewart MP (left) with Dmitry Leus (centre) and guests at the Palace of Westminster.
Colonel Bob Stewart MP welcomed guests, saying: “I am delighted you could all come to this special evening to support the great work done at St George’s Hospital. Thank you also to Dmitry Leus for organising this event and for your amazing efforts supporting St George’s.
When I first heard of Dmitry’s work, I was thoroughly impressed by the new device that helps children with cancer remain pain-free.
I see now how much St George’s Hospital Charity appreciates his generosity. Cancer is a cruel disease. When children suffer, the treatment seems to be even more grueling. I believe children should be given as much support as possible to finally feel ease and comfort.
It’s an honour to host St George’s Hospital Charity at the Houses Of Parliament and it’s an incredible cause that had brought all of us here together tonight.”
Amerjit Chohan, Chief Executive of St George’s Hospital Charity, expressed appreciation that so many guests had come out to support the charity and thanked Dmitry Leus and Imperium Investments for their continued support of the charity and in making the event happen.
In future, Imperium Investments plan to support holidays for children and their families, with special arrangements made for them to be supported by local hospitals in the countries they visit to ensure they can access emergency medical care if needed.
Dmitry Leus, director of Imperium Investments, spoke about his admiration for the work of the hospital and his pride in supporting the charity: “We are pleased to offer our support, in partnership with St George’s, to make childhood illnesses such as cancer more manageable and less harrowing.
We are especially proud we could help make a medical device, the Buzzy, available to young patients to provide natural pain relief to ease injections and giving blood samples.
We are also working with St George’s Hospital Charity to redevelop the Children’s Garden, creating a safe, fun and peaceful space for children and their loved ones. The garden will aid with healing emotionally and physically, provide a space for education and learning, and also offer distraction outside of the hospital environment.”
Donations can be made to St George’s Hospital Charity Children’s Appeal online.
Last Thursday 29 November, at a star-studded event at the House of Commons, St George’s Hospital Charity and Imperium Investments launched a new partnership in support of the Children’s Appeal.
Dmitry Leus, CEO of Imperium Investments, was inspired to support St George’s Hospital Charity after meeting the teenage daughter of a friend who was undergoing cancer treatment in our children’s wards.
Dmitry wanted to improve the hospital experience of our youngest patients, and working with St George’s Hospital Charity identified that he could fund “Buzzys” for every bed in the paediatric inpatients department. Buzzys are pain distraction devices that make blood tests and injections much less scary and painful for young and nervous children.
These fantastic devices arrived a couple of months ago and have made a massive difference to the children and staff on our wards. Keith Fishpool, Paediatric Assistant Practitioner, said:
“We use the Buzzys in the children’s wards for blood tests and all types of injections. They’re an amazing tool for distraction – rather than getting nervous about the procedure we’re going to do, the kids really focus on the vibrations. The part of the brain that would have generally concentrated on the pain concentrates on the buzzing sensation instead, which really reduces anxiety and discomfort. It also means you spend less time placating children and you get through the process of doing a blood test quicker, because the Buzzy just totally distracts them and you can get on with it. I find them really useful, particularly for nervous children, it’s been great to have them on the wards and has made a real difference to our youngest patients.”
St George’s Children’s departments care for nearly 40,000 children every year from Wandsworth, Merton, south west London, Surrey and beyond. Its youngest and smallest patients are looked after by an incredible team of staff with specialist medical and surgical care provided across five children’s wards, a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), a specialist fetal medicine unit, and a joint treatment centre for oncology with the Royal Marsden Hospital. St George’s is one of only three centres in the UK designated to look after children with HIV, emergency admissions, and outpatient services.
St George’s Hospital Charity’s Children’s Appeal aims to raise £500,000 by 2020 to support the work of our children’s, maternity and fetal medicine teams. This includes funding major redevelopments, clinical research and state-of-the-art medical equipment as well as helping patients and their families at times of extreme financial difficulty.
The work of St George’s Hospital Charity wouldn’t be possible without the support of the donors, grants, foundations and individual fundraisers who all assist us in our work. Dmitry and Imperium Investments are a brilliant example of this support. In speaking about the partnership, Dmitry said:
“I am a proud father of four wonderful children myself, so it also gives me an immense amount of pride in being able to help a charity like St George’s Hospital Charity committed to providing relief and support for children going through difficult times.”
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