A generous young cancer survivor from West Bromwich has raised hundreds of pounds for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Charity by having his hair shaved off.

Dan Saunders, 23, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in June 2011 and was cared for on the Young Persons Unit (YPU) at QEHB. The brightly coloured unit provides inpatient care for 16- to 25-year-olds who are living with cancer, and has a lounge, kitchen with breakfast bar, study and a room to relax in.

Dan’s generous donation of £1,016 will enable the QEHB Charity to continue funding services and equipment on the YPU that are additional to core NHS services. These include massage therapy and guitar lessons, as well as essentials for teenagers, such as DVDs, games consoles and the latest games.

Dan explained: “I couldn’t fault the excellent care I’ve received throughout my treatment. It was a real shock to be diagnosed with cancer but the team here make it so much easier to deal with it. As well as the medical care, you also get the social side such as the pizza nights and the chance to watch DVDs and play Xbox games. I wanted to give something back to the charity to enable them to buy more treats for patients on the YPU as I know first-hand how important they are.”

Dan, who is due to start working at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in November, confessed he used to spend half an hour doing his hair before a night out so shaving his head was a tough challenge.

He added: “I take real pride in my appearance and used to spend ages on my hair. In fact, it was more worrying to lose my hair than have the treatment! I felt like I was losing part of me. However, I have a great group of friends who said they were proud of me for shaving my head and they have been really generous with their donations. Knowing I am helping other patients with cancer has made it all worthwhile.”

Paul Mitchell, corporate and community fundraiser for the QEHB Charity, said: “A huge thanks to Dan and everyone who made a donation. The money raised from Dan’s head shave will enable us to continue to provide the added extras that help patients enjoy a bit of normality whilst undergoing treatment. DVDs, music, games and educational resources don’t come as standard on the NHS but make a huge difference to young people.”

If you'd like to make a donation to help patients like Dan on the YPU, please contact the QEHB Charity on 0121 371 4852 or visit their website.