A charity set up in memory of a woman from Watford who died of ovarian cancer has donated £5,000 to buy life-saving equipment for the town’s general hospital.

Following the death of Jane Kasler in August 2012, who was just 49, her family wanted to do something to thank the staff at Watford General Hospital for the care and commitment received while she was in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The Jane Kasler Foundation was set up in January 2013 to make people more aware of the dangers that ovarian cancer carries and to raise money to support critical research into curing the condition which affects more than 6,500 women in the UK each year.

To date the foundation has raised more than £20,000 through events including the London Marathon and a ladies’ brunch. The intensive care unit, a specialist ward which treats patients in a critically ill or unstable condition, sees an average of 900 adult patients every year.

Sarah Lafbery is the Matron for the ICU at Watford Hospital. She said: "I’d like to say a massive thank you to the Jane Kasler Foundation for their generous donation of such an amazing amount of money.

"This money has been used to purchase a new defibrillator, a life-saving machine used in cases of cardiac arrest, which will be a huge benefit to a great number of our patients in the future."

Jane’s daughter, Giorgina Kasler, one of the founders of the charity, said: "The Jane Kasler Foundation was created in loving memory of my mum, a lasting legacy for a wonderful woman.

"We really wanted to give something back to Watford Hospital to thank them for all their hard work and dedication.

"The care that my mum received was incredible and the doctors were able to extend my mum’s life so that she could see me graduate. It made us more aware that being a nurse or a doctor isn’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle.

"We are delighted with the amount of money that has already been raised and we know how much the new equipment will be appreciated by the staff in the intensive care unit.

"Thank you to everyone who has helped us with our fundraising so far, the foundation’s next aim will be to help fund screenings able to detect the BRCA 1 and 2 genes which have a strong connection with identifying early ovarian and breast cancer. We have just launched a ‘coffee morning’ event currently taking place over the next few weeks and more information is available about this on our Facebook page."

For more information about The Jane Kasler Foundation, please visit: www.facebook.com/JaneKaslerFoundation.