Following the sad news that VSC Member and Forum User Hoolahoop is currently undergoing treatment for Chordoma, the VSC is accepting donations from our members and forum users in aid of Chordoma UK, a charity chosen by Hoola himself.

What is Chordoma?

Chordoma is a rare primary bone cancer, meaning that it arises in bone (rather than spreads to bone).
The bones involved are those at the base of the skull, the vertebral bodies (back bones), and the bone of the sacrum and coccyx at the base of the spine. Chordoma is thought to arise from a persistent embryonic tissue (notochordal cells), which normally disappears before birth, but can persist in some people. However, the majority of individuals with notochordal remnants do not develop chordoma. Chordoma is part of a family of cancers called sarcoma, which include cancers of the bones, cartilage, muscles and other connective tissue. Chordomas are generally slow growing, and tend to recur after treatment. 

Why are Chordoma UK raising money for Research?

Treatment options for chordoma are limited. The average survival of patients diagnosed with chordoma is less than 10 years from first diagnosis although for some the course of the disease is longer. Initial diagnosis of chordoma is often difficult as its presenting symptoms can mimic more common musculoskeletal pain or other more common diseases. Research has led to a definitive marker for chordoma, but now further research is needed to use these findings to discover how best to treat patients. There is little funding available for research into this relentless bone cancer mainly because it is relatively rare, occurring in only 1 in 800,000 of the population. Without a focused approach to raising money for research into chordoma, little will change quickly. To find out more about what Chordoma UK please visit: http://chordoma-uk.org/

To donate to Chordoma UK please click the donate button below, log in to your Paypal and simply enter the amount you wish to donate.

Ahead of the Blackburn Rovers match, Doncaster Rovers' captain and fan favourite Rob Jones was presented on the pitch with the VSC's Player of the Year trophy for 2012/13. As we all know, Rob led the team to the League One title and turned in a series of commanding performances throughout the season, and this was reflected in his scores in the Man of the Match voting for each game.  At the end of the season the votes were all tallied up and Rob had won with a couple of matches to spare!

Rob was presented the trophy by VSC members Dave Wright (left) and Matthew Lamb (right), who were randomly selected from those present at the recent AGM. The VSC would like to thank everyone who voted in the 2012/13 Man of the Match polls. 

Please remember to vote for your Man of the Match after every match in the Man of The Match section and help decide who should win the Player of the Year 2013/14

This week, the VSC asked regular forum poster OggyCompton (aka Paul) to kick off a series of interviews to show the human face of the people at the club.  Shaun Lockwood, the club's Head of Marketing, was the subject of the first interview and he took some time-out from the build up to the club's Open Evening to speak with Paul.

Click HERE to read the full interview.

Many thanks go to both Paul and Shaun for finding the time to do this.