Getting Here | Contact Us | A to Z of Services                          

                                            




You are here  : Home Press 2010 Press Releases 2010 An untimely tragedy motivates a local community
An untimely tragedy motivates a local community
Written by Communications Team   

After the untimely death of 17 year old Stephanie Marks, a young girl who dreamed of becoming a doctor, a £1 million diabetes resource centre – dedicated to the condition that took her life – finally opens in her name.

A project which motivated a whole community, the new centre – located at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey - is to be officially opened by Sir Ian Botham OBE (on 20th May), and offers a ‘one stop shop’ facility for one of the fastest growing health conditions of our age.

The new centre, Stephanie’s legacy, will improve the quality of diabetes care across a wide area of Surrey and West Middlesex (total catchment population of around 450,000), providing faster and easier access to diabetes treatment, education and research for patients, carers and medical professionals. The centre offers outpatient and nurse led clinics; structured patient education; an insulin pump service and a space for support groups to meet, all under one roof.

The building – which ironically is next door to the hospital’s maternity wing, where Stephanie was born - is an attractive mixture of old and new, with a very modern exterior wrapped around an original building, known locally as the Croft, giving the centre a very special character all of its own.


Stephanie died tragically following complications from Type 1 diabetes in June 2002. Her family were determined that they would harness the goodwill and support that surrounded them at this devastating time. Her younger sisters Victoria and Charlotte and brother Andrew were as enthusiastic as their parents, Sue and Chris, when Consultant Endocrinologist and Diabetologist Dr Mike Baxter asked them to consider launching an appeal in Stephanie’s name.

Stephanie’s father, Chris Marks says: “It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child – especially suddenly and unexpectedly. So, when Dr. Mike Baxter first suggested trying to set up a leading Diabetes Centre at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals by launching an Appeal in Stephanie’s name, we were overwhelmed but, at the same time, immensely proud that something potentially so positive could possibly come from something so terrible.”

A beautiful and courageous girl for whom diabetes was merely a stumbling block to be overcome, Stephanie’s dream was to become a Doctor – in fact the first line of her draft University application form read, "I cannot remember a time when I did not want to be Doctor ...”

Dr Baxter knew that the number of children and adults suffering from both types of diabetes looked set to increase dramatically, and could see the value a dedicated resource centre would bring to the local community.


The Stephanie Marks Appeal launched in June 2003, and the community was quick to give its support. With Sir Ian Botham OBE as Patron, the Appeal took off, and donations began to flood in. Associated charities and health related organisations (particularly the pharmaceutical industry) were generous with their support – even during the worst of the credit crunch - but it was the local community that really got behind the appeal and made it its own.

Well supported by the local media, news of the Appeal spread and fundraising events mushroomed, from the local Inner Wheel group in Feltham that made the Appeal its charity of the Year, to local school fundraisers, sponsored events undertaken by local people and hospital staff, donations large and small began to mount.


The involvement of the local community has really touched the heart of parents Sue and Chris Marks. Says Chris: “What has been achieved is not only a tribute to Stephanie but also a testament to the hundreds, maybe thousands of people who have raised the money to create the Centre. Schools, community groups, charitable organisations, hotels, pubs and clubs, industry and private individuals have given time and money, and during a period of considerable recession. “Thank you” is totally inadequate to express our gratitude for all the help and donations, big or small.”

Dr Mike Baxter, who has spear-headed the campaign from the start, sums up what the appeal has meant to him: “From the hospital Trust’s point of view, we are delighted to be able to offer our patients this first-class resource. As a doctor and a friend to the Marks family, I have been overwhelmed by the way our local community has got behind this project and allowed a dream to come to fruition. This is a real legacy to Stephanie, and a community resource that will benefit patients for many years to come.”