Tuesday, 19 February saw the presentation of a £133,000 cheque to our Neurosurgery department on behalf of the John King Brain Tumour Foundation.

John King sadly died following treatment for a glioblastoma, a type of brain tumour, at St George’s Hospital in 2016. His wife Laura King set up the foundation in his name to raise money to buy a state-of-the-art Zeiss Opmi Pentero microscope, which is used during surgical treatment for the tumour.

Laura King presented the cheque to Mr Tim Jones, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Neuro-Oncology Lead Clinician, who treated John when he was a patient with us.

Laura and the foundation have been raising money for our Neurosurgery department through a variety of ways, including a sponsored hike along the Great Wall of China. Last year, they funded the refurbishment of the McKissock Ward balcony garden, an area that was special to John, Laura and the family.

Mr Jones told us: “We can’t thank Laura and the foundation enough for this incredibly generous donation. The microscope will allow us to perform precise surgical treatments, removing more of the tumour and increasing the survival chances and quality of life for the hundreds of patients we treat every year here at St George’s.”

Laura added: “We are delighted to help so many people by funding this new equipment for the team, and to support the balcony garden which continues to be a beautiful addition to the department.”

Thank you to Laura and the John King Brain Tumour Foundation for all of their fundraising efforts.