Page 13 - Real Rochdale Issue 12 Winter 2021
P. 13

GEM Appeal funds Tecan machine for


 Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital






 Purchased by the charity at a
 cost of £128,000, the
 Tecan machine arrived at the
 Simon and Mikey Hoather
 Research Laboratory in the
 Willink Unit at Royal
 Manchester Children’s
 Hospital in June.

 Now fully operational, the
 equipment prepares and
 arranges blood samples for
 DNA analysis a few days
 after the birth of a baby,
 enabling the specialist staff
 at the unit to concentrate
 on more complex tasks and
 Because of the money raised by the GEM   enhancing a previous GEM

 Appeal, children diagnosed with genetic   Appeal purchase, the
 Tandem Mass Spectrometer,
 conditions are living longer, healthier lives.  which analyses the samples
 taken.

 The GEM Appeal (Genetics.   Run entirely by volunteers,   The Willink Unit is now
 Enzymes. Metabolics.) was   the charity has raised over   looking into more equipment
 founded in 1994 by   £3 million towards funding    they need, ready for the
 Rochdale mum Karen   research into and finding   GEM Appeal to set its next
 Johnson whose sons, Simon   cures for rare genetic and   fundraising target.
 and Mikey, were born with   metabolic disorders
 Hunter Syndrome – a rare   through various events.
 inherited disorder
 causing abnormalities in   The charity’s 20th annual
 organs due to missing or   ball was held in November,
 malfunctioning enzymes.  hosted by patron Denise
 Welch at Manchester’s
 With no cure and no    Kimpton Clocktower Hotel,
 treatment available for the   and founder Karen’s
 boys at the time, they both   ‘favourite’ annual event, the
 tragically lost their lives at   Strawberry Sparkle ladies’
 12-years-old, but the GEM   luncheon was held at
 Appeal has continued to   Nutters Restaurant in
 grow in their memory.  August.



 www.gem-appeal.co.uk  Founder Karen Johnson with the
  GEM Appeal’s Queen’s Award for
 Voluntary Service
 REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER 2021  12                           13                     REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER 2021
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