Daredevil patients and staff abseil down St Thomas’ Hospital

330 adventurous fundraisers braved the 160 foot drop down St Thomas’ Hospital this weekend for charity - including a kidney cancer survivor who wanted to say thank you for his care.  

Daredevil participants abseiled 14 floors, the height of almost 10 adult giraffes, down the iconic hospital building. They raised a total of £185,000 of essential funds for three charities supporting Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, helping the hospitals go above and beyond what the NHS can provide.

The annual St Thomas' Abseil, sponsored by Livingbridge, raised money for Guy’s Cancer Charity, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, and Evelina London Children’s Charity.

Braving his fear of heights was Pete Webster, from Greenwich in south east London, who was diagnosed with renal cancer in 2023. Following his diagnosis Pete had a 5-hour surgery to remove the solid tumour and his left kidney.

Pete is now in remission, and to celebrate turning 50 the personal trainer has been taking on a fundraising challenge each month for a range of cancer charities. For his latest challenge he took on the abseil for Guy’s Cancer Charity, to give back to the Guy’s Cancer Centre team who were there when he needed them most.

Pete, who lives with his wife, Holly, 47, and son Ethan, 12, said: “After everything that happened, I didn’t want my 50^th to be a party one night, I wanted to commemorate the year with something meaningful.

It’s a perfect full circle that I could do the abseil for Guy’s Cancer Charity, it’s a special connection I have with the hospital. I was a bit shaky at the top, but the views were incredible, and the team were awesome!

Pete never thought when he went to his GP with a single symptom, passing blood in his urine once, that it would be cancer. Kidney cancer is the 6^th most common cancer in the UK. Often there are no obvious symptoms, and it is usually diagnosed when testing for something else. When there are symptoms they may include blood in your urine, or a lump in the kidney area.

Following this, Pete’s wife, Holly, went to get checked and was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer and is currently undergoing treatment.

Pete, who has raised over £300 for Guy’s Cancer Charity, said: “We worry people will call us the cancer couple, or think that we are negative, but we are both so positive and thankful for the care we’ve received.

“My surgeon was amazing. He was so comforting and gave me the confidence that it was going to be okay.” 

Other thrill-seekers who took on the annual challenge include father and daughter duo, Derrick Sanyahumbi, 55, and Sophia, 17.

The pair, from Beckenham in south east London, signed up after Derrick’s wife and Sophia’s mum, Sarah, was treated for stage 4 ovarian cancer in 2018, and again in 2020. She underwent chemotherapy treatment at the Cancer Centre at Guy’s and had surgery at St Thomas’ Hospital. She is currently taking a targeted cancer drug to keep the cancer at bay and has regular check-ups.

Alongside patients, families and friends, over 130 staff members from across the Trust braved the heights, including first-time abseiler Linda Connelly. Linda, 68, was born at St Thomas’, had three children at the hospital, and in June celebrated her 30-year anniversary working at the Trust. Working the night shift on switch board, she helps triage oncology patients, book taxis for patients and staff members, and support in emergencies. 

Linda, who is fundraising for Evelina London Children’s Charity, said:

St Thomas' Hospital is like my second home. It was a real honour to take on this challenge to celebrate my time at the Trust, and raise as much money to help the children and parents who come through the doors of Evelina London.

Taking on the abseil for the 3^rd time, Tom Marshall, 33, is fundraising for Guy’s Cancer Charity. The waste manager at the Trust is dedicating the feat to his friend who is currently being cared for at Guy’s Cancer Centre.

Laura Savory, Interim Director of Fundraising at the three charities, said: “We wish to extend a huge thank you to our fantastic fundraisers who took part in our flagship event this weekend. Together, you are helping to support Guy’s and St Thomas’ deliver better, fairer healthcare - beyond what the NHS can provide.”

Visit Pete's, Sophia and Derrick's, Linda's and Tom's individual fundraising pages to donate to their fundraising.