The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity and Birmingham Children’s Hospital have been chosen as charities of the year for 2012 by the captains at Droitwich Golf Club.

John and Linda Whitehead, who live in Droitwich, have chosen to support the transplant teams at QEHB, which has the largest solid organ transplantation programme in Europe, and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

John, 53, explained: “We’re excited to be supporting the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity and Birmingham Children’s Hospital during 2012. Our fundraising will be devoted to the transplant teams because we have a strong desire to help people with the care and support they receive before, during and after transplant surgery. We also want to raise awareness of organ donation and highlight the importance of research and development in this field. We know from personal experience how important transplant programmes are as my sister-in-law Beverley had two small intestine transplants.”

Beverley was treated for bowel cancer in 1999 near her home in Philadelphia and due to complications following successful treatment for cancer, Beverley needed a life-saving small intestine transplant which was done in 2001.

John, who is retired, said: “The transplant was a success and she returned to work, enjoying an active life again with my brother Steve and their four children. Sadly, two years ago the transplant began to fail and Beverley needed another small intestine transplant and kidney transplant at the same time. Having a small intestine transplant is rare so she had the operation in Washington under the care and expertise of the same team who had carried out the original transplant. This is a very complex operation and patients are prone to infection. Very sadly, Beverley struggled to recover and after a long and very determined battle with ill health, she died aged just 54 in September.”

Beverley was a paediatric nurse at Great Ormond Street and a children’s hospital when she moved to Boston with Steve in the early 1980s.

“Beverley’s work meant that she knew the importance of care for the patient but also for their families who are going through a very difficult time seeing their loved one so unwell. She provided that care with compassion, skill and professionalism,” added John. “We’re fundraising because we want to help provide people here with the type of care that Beverley valued so highly and do something for our own community that’s in the spirit of what Steve is doing in Washington.

“Steve has set up a fund in Beverley’s name at Georgetown University Hospital to help children having transplants and their families. Beverley wasn’t expected to survive longer than a year when she was first diagnosed with bowel cancer. However, thanks to the care she received she enjoyed another 12 years with her family and was able to see her children grow up. We’re very pleased that with the help of Droitwich Golf Club members we will be supporting the vital work carried out by the region’s transplant teams.”

John and Linda, who is a gymnastics coach, have been members of Droitwich Golf Club for 20 years and will be organising a variety of fundraising events throughout 2012 including raffles, auctions, jumble sales and a summer ball.

Paul Mitchell, corporate and community fundraiser for the charity, said: “I’d like to thank John, Linda and all the members of Droitwich Golf Club in advance for their support of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity. Thanks to the expertise of the teams involved in the organ transplantation programme at the hospital and the generosity of fundraisers, many patients do not just survive but make a full and complete recovery, going back to work and leading a normal life.”

Lucie O’Reilly, fundraiser at Birmingham Children’s Hospital said: “This support is invaluable and will help our young transplant patients, some of whom have been transplanted at just weeks or months old. Without transplantation, these children would sadly not survive so we are hugely grateful to John and Linda Whitehead and Droitwich Golf Club for their fundraising efforts.”

To make a donation to the organ transplant team or for more information about how you can support patients, please visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham or Birmingham Children’s Hospital websites or call 0121 371 4852 for QEHB or 0121 333 8506 for BCH.