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Scotsman
2 days ago
- Health
- Scotsman
Scotsman Obituaries: Nancy Blaik MBE, charity volunteer who helped found first children's hospice in Scotland
Nancy Blaik MBE, charity volunteer. Born: 30 May 1936. Died: 10 May 2025, aged 88 Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nancy Blaik was a prolific charity volunteer from Edinburgh and a driving force behind the creation of Scotland's first children's hospice in the 1990s. Nancy died from pneumonia, after living her final years with the progressive neurodegenerative disorder, Lewy Body Dementia. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Born in Wallyford, East Lothian, to Agnes and Angus Geekie, Nancy had two siblings, Christina and James, both of whom predeceased her. Nancy Blaik with her beloved son Daniel Growing up near Canonmills, Edinburgh, where she went to school, Nancy entered employment at 15, working as an office assistant in the National Farmers Union. She later became a highly skilled audio typist in the Medical Microbiology Dept of Edinburgh University. Despite a difficult start in life due to deprivation and wartime family stress, Nancy, who was blind from childhood, achieved so much in working for others. In 1977 Nancy welcomed her son Daniel into the world. Unfortunately, at the age of two Daniel was diagnosed with, and profoundly disabled by, the metabolic disease Leighs Encephalopathy, a severe, progressive, neurological disorder which meant he could move only his eyes and mouth. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As a result, Nancy took on the role of Daniel's full-time carer throughout his childhood. Shortly after Daniel's diagnosis Nancy became involved with, and actively raised funds for, a small charity called Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases (CLIMB). It was through CLIMB that she became aware of Martin House children's hospice in Yorkshire, which she started visiting with Daniel and her husband Jack for respite. In 1988, Nancy and Jack got together with other parents who regularly travelled the hundreds of miles from Scotland to Martin House for care and respite for their seriously ill children to discuss the logistics of opening such a facility closer to home. So passionate were Nancy and her group to achieve this that in September 1991 they held their first public meeting in Edinburgh University and less than six months later a group was formally incorporated, becoming the registered charity that is known today as Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nancy never let herself be held back by her vision loss, and her dedication and commitment to the charitable causes close to her heart led to her being named Disabled Scot of the Year in 1991. In the years that followed Nancy played a key role in raising the £10 million needed to build the first CHAS children's hospice. Thanks to a major appeal from the Daily Record which attracted many generous donations from the Scottish public and other sources, the dream of Nancy and many others for a children's hospice in Scotland was eventually realised in 1996 when Rachel House opened its doors in Kinross. Daniel enjoyed 13 wonderful years of visiting Rachel House with Nancy and Jack before he sadly died in 2009, aged 31, long outliving the prognosis of a few years given when he was aged two. Before and after his death, Nancy remained active in raising funds for CHAS and she received an MBE for her work as a Founding Director of CHAS in 1997. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Over the last three decades Nancy's legacy has helped CHAS to ensure no family faces the death of their child alone, providing unwavering care and support to thousands of families in its two hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch (which opened in 2005), in hospitals or at home – giving children and families the gift of choice in their palliative care journeys. Alongside her work at CHAS, Nancy inspired the creation of Leith Home Start, a support service in Edinburgh, and she was also an active and dedicated fundraiser for RNIB and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Other notable achievements of Nancy's included being a participant in the Lothian Birth Cohorts 1936 research group study run by the University of Edinburgh. She also featured in a BBC Scotland programme in the Focal Point series in 1988 entitled 'Nancy's Story', which was about her life as a fundraising powerhouse and about the life of Daniel also. In her later years Nancy became profoundly disabled herself by Lewy Body Dementia and was cared for by her devoted husband Jack and a small team of personal assistants, who made her life as active and as independent as it could be, in her own home and community of 50 years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jack followed in Nancy's footsteps 25 years after her good example by being awarded an OBE in the 2025 New Years Honours list for services in support of the Independent Living Fund Scotland. Jack said: 'I was 25 years well behind but in eventually catching up with Nancy she was the proof that women are invariably a good influence on men. Nancy was much loved by many, not least by Daniel and I.' CHAS CEO Rami Okasha also paid tribute to Nancy, saying: 'Nancy was a true inspiration for many staff and families at CHAS. She had a clear ambition for what CHAS should offer young people, children and their families. She showed true commitment and spoke with real passion, holding true to her values over many years. 'Nancy, along with the other founders, had the vision of what palliative care for babies and children could look like, along with strong determination, resilience and courage to turn their vision into a reality. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "With love and compassion, their mission has led to CHAS now offering unwavering care to children who may die young and to their families, at every step on this hardest of journeys, in hospices, hospitals and in their homes.' Nancy Blaik's legacy will forever live on in all the valuable work of CHAS in supporting children with life-shortening conditions and their families right across Scotland. Obituaries
Business Wire
02-06-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Mauna Kea Technologies Announces Major AI Breakthrough with Cellvizio in Pancreatic Cystic Lesion Risk Stratification
PARIS & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: Mauna Kea Technologies (Euronext Growth: ALMKT), inventor of Cellvizio ®, the multidisciplinary probe and needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (p/nCLE) platform, today announces a significant advancement with the results of a landmark study published in the peer-reviewed journal Pancreatology. The research, titled ' Towards Automating Risk Stratification of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms: Artificial Intelligence Advances Beyond Human Expertise with Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy 2 ', demonstrates that Artificial Intelligence (AI) model combined with Cellvizio ® needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) technology significantly outperforms human experts in risk stratification of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMNs), a common type of pancreatic cyst. The study aimed to compare the performance of 16 nCLE human experts with a novel AI algorithm (nCLE-AI) specifically designed for the sub-classification of a type of pancreatic cystic lesion with malignant potential. These findings build on the CLIMB study data presented this year at DDW, which demonstrated strong diagnostic performance of needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy in differentiating benign from malignant or pre-malignant pancreatic cysts. Indeed, the latest results from the CLIMB study -spanning 17 endosonographers across 14 centers - have further reinforced the significantly superior diagnostic accuracy of Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided nCLE (EUS-nCLE) compared to the current standard of care 3. 'This study marks a pivotal moment in our ability to accurately risk stratify pancreatic cysts. The nCLE-AI model has shown remarkable potential to not only enhance diagnostic accuracy beyond current expert capabilities but also to standardize the interpretation of nCLE imaging," said Dr. Somashekar (Som) Krishna, Professor of Medicine and Director of Advanced Endoscopy at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, lead author of the publication."By providing a more precise and objective assessment, this technology can significantly aid clinical decision-making, helping to ensure that patients at high risk receive timely intervention while those with low-risk cysts may avoid unnecessary surveillance or surgery." The results of the study on risk stratification associated with IPMNs cysts with malignant potential, detailed in the table below, show that the nCLE-AI model combined with revised Fukuoka Criteria achieves an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.85, with a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 78%. This performance is significantly superior to that of human experts using the same criteria (AUC 0.64; p<0.01) and represents an improvement over the nCLE-AI model alone (p=0.02), clearly demonstrating the superiority of the AI-augmented approach for enhancing the detection of malignant cysts that need immediate intervention. The AI model continues to improve rapidly with additional nCLE sequences and data. Sacha Loiseau, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mauna Kea Technologies, stated:"These latest results, published by a group of highly skilled interventional endoscopists from multiple countries and institutions, under the exceptional leadership of Dr. Krishna, materialize our vision of nCLE enhanced by AI models, whether developed internally or by academic partners. Adding AI will certainly lead to a broader adoption of nCLE in the community of interventional endoscopists but will also open the door to risk stratification strategies, which are completely absent in today's standard of care. This strongly reinforces our conviction that nCLE is playing a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of patients at risk of pancreatic cancer." About pancreatic cysts The prevalence of pancreatic cystic lesions in the adult asymptomatic population ranges from 2.4% to 24.3%. The large majority of pancreatic cystic lesions are discovered through incidental imaging, and it is estimated that 40% of cysts with no risk of carcinogenesis are operated on unnecessarily. More accurate classification methods, including risk stratification, are therefore needed earlier in the patient's diagnostic workup. Conventional diagnostic testing involves performing an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and then collecting and testing the cyst fluid through fine needle aspiration (FNA). In some advanced facilities, next generation sequencing (NGS) of cellular DNA may be performed to provide additional data. Although most facilities employ a combination of a range of conventional diagnostic methods, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy remain insufficient, potentially exposing patients to misclassified cysts and unneeded surgical procedures About Mauna Kea Technologies Mauna Kea Technologies is a global medical device company that manufactures and sells Cellvizio ®, the real-time in vivo cellular imaging platform. This technology uniquely delivers in vivo cellular visualization which enables physicians to monitor the progression of disease over time, assess point-in-time reactions as they happen in real time, classify indeterminate areas of concern, and guide surgical interventions. The Cellvizio ® platform is used globally across a wide range of medical specialties and is making a transformative change in the way physicians diagnose and treat patients. For more information, visit Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements about Mauna Kea Technologies and its business. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Mauna Kea Technologies' financial condition, business, strategies, plans and objectives for future operations are forward-looking statements. Mauna Kea Technologies believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions. However, no assurance can be given that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements will be achieved. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described in Chapter 2 of Mauna Kea Technologies' 2024 Annual Report filed with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) on April 30, 2025, which is available on the Company's website ( as well as the risks associated with changes in economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Mauna Kea Technologies operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks that are unknown to Mauna Kea Technologies or that Mauna Kea Technologies does not currently consider material. The occurrence of some or all of these risks could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Mauna Kea Technologies to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe for, or the solicitation of an order to buy or subscribe for, shares of Mauna Kea Technologies in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The distribution of this press release may be restricted in certain jurisdictions by local law. Persons into whose possession this document comes are required to comply with all local regulations applicable to this document. ______________________________ 1 2 3
The Herald Scotland
31-05-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Force behind the creation of Scotland's first children's hospice dies
Died: May 10, 2025 Nancy Blaik, who has died aged 88, was a prolific charity volunteer and a driving force behind the creation of Scotland's first children's hospice in the 1990s. Born in Wallyford in East Lothian to parents Agnes and Angus Geekie, Nancy had two siblings, Christina and James, both of whom predeceased her. Growing up near Canonmills, where she went to school, Nancy entered her first employment at 15 years old, working as an office assistant in the National Farmers Union. She later becoming a highly skilled audio typist in the medical microbiology department of Edinburgh University. Despite a difficult start in life due to deprivation and wartime family stress, Nancy, who was blind from childhood, achieved so much in working for others. In 1977 she welcomed her beloved son Daniel into the world. Unfortunately, at the age of just two Daniel was diagnosed with, and profoundly disabled by, the metabolic disease Leighs Encephalopathy, a severe, progressive, neurological disorder which meant he could only move his eyes and mouth. As a result, Nancy took on the role of Daniel's full-time carer throughout his childhood, as well as being his devoted mother. Shortly after Daniel's diagnosis Nancy became involved with, and actively raised funds for, a small charity called Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases (CLIMB). It was through CLIMB that she became aware of Martin House children's hospice in Yorkshire, where she started visiting with Daniel and her husband Jack for respite. In 1988, Nancy and Jack, along with some other parents who all regularly travelled the hundreds of miles from Scotland to Martin House for precious care and respite for their seriously ill children, got together to discuss the logistics of opening such a facility closer to home. So passionate were Nancy and her group to achieve this that in September 1991 they held their first public meeting in Edinburgh University and less than six months later a group was formally incorporated, becoming the registered charity that is known today as Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). Nancy never let herself be held back by her vision loss and her dedication and commitment to the charitable causes close to her heart led to her being named Disabled Scot of the Year in 1991. In the years that followed Nancy played a key role in raising the £10million needed to build the first CHAS children's hospice. Thanks to a major appeal from The Daily Record which attracted many generous donations from the Scottish public and other sources, Nancy's, and that of many others, dream for a children's hospice in Scotland was eventually realised in 1996 when Rachel House opened its doors in Kinross. Read more Daniel enjoyed 13 wonderful years of visiting Rachel house with Nancy and Jack before he sadly died in 2009, aged 31, long outliving the prognosis of a few years given when he was two. Before and since his death, Nancy remained active in raising funds for CHAS and received an MBE for her work as a founding director of CHAS in 1997. Over the last three decades Nancy's legacy has helped CHAS to ensure that no family faces the death of their child alone and has provided unwavering care and support to thousands of families in its two hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch (which opened in 2005), in hospitals or at home – giving children and families the gift of choice in their palliative care journeys. Alongside her work at CHAS, Nancy inspired the creation of Leith Home Start, a support service in Edinburgh, and was also an active and dedicated fundraiser for RNIB and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Other notable achievements of Nancy's included being a participant in the Lothian Birth Cohorts 1936 research group study run by Edinburgh University. She also featured in a BBC Scotland programme in the Focal Point series in 1988 entitled Nancy's Story which was about her life as a fundraising powerhouse and about the life of Daniel also. In her later years Nancy became profoundly disabled herself by Lewy Body Dementia and was cared for by her devoted husband Jack and a small team of personal assistants, who made her life as active and as independent as it could be, in her own home and community of 50 years. Jack followed in Nancy's footsteps 25 years after her good example by being awarded an OBE in the 2025 New Years Honours list for services in support of the Independent Living Fund Scotland. Jack said: "I was 25 years well behind but in eventually catching up with Nancy she was the proof that women are invariably a good influence on men. Nancy was much loved by many, not least by Daniel and I." Nancy Blaik was blind from childhood (Image: Contributed) CHAS CEO Rami Okasha also paid tribute to Nancy saying: "Nancy was a true inspiration for many staff and families at CHAS. She had a clear ambition for what CHAS should offer young people, children and their families. She showed true commitment and spoke with real passion, holding true to her values over many years. "Nancy along with the other founders had the vision of what palliative care for babies and children could look like, along with strong determination, resilience and courage to turn their vision into a reality. With love and compassion, their mission has led to CHAS to now offer unwavering care to children who may die young and to their families, at every step on this hardest of journeys, in hospices, hospitals and in their homes." Nancy's legacy will forever live on in all the valuable work of CHAS in supporting children with life-shortening conditions and their families right across Scotland. At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
Cision Canada
15-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Chaos to Clarity: Business Strategist Launches CLIMB Framework to Tackle Burnout and Stabilize Coaches' Growth
Industry Strategist Katie Hahn Launches Groundbreaking Program to Address Burnout, Operational Chaos, and Inconsistent Income Among Women Entrepreneurs TOLEDO, Ohio, May 15, 2025 /CNW/ -- As the global coaching industry ascends to around $6.25 billion in 2024 in value and women continue to dominate online coaching spaces, a critical gap has emerged: the lack of operational and strategic infrastructure needed to sustain that growth. Today, seasoned business strategist Katie Hahn announces the launch of The CLIMB Framework — a comprehensive, systems-based program designed to help women-led coaching businesses stabilize, scale, and thrive without burnout. While the coaching space is booming in visibility, data paints a sobering picture behind the scenes. According to a report by the International Coaching Federation, approximately 72% of coach practitioners globally are women. Many are highly skilled in their craft, but struggle with the business backend — from clunky tech stacks to unclear offers to reactive sales processes. "We're in a time where more women than ever are stepping into entrepreneurship, but most are still running their businesses with hustle and guesswork. CLIMB meets that moment with clarity and strategy." said Hahn. The CLIMB Framework is built around five strategic pillars: C – Clarify your business model & client strategy L – Leverage systems & automation for stability I – Implement key metrics that drive growth M – Measure & optimize sales performance B – Benchmark for continuous improvement CLIMB isn't just tactical, it's transformational. The program includes a digital workbook, weekly live training, and a peer-supported community, giving women coaches the tools and accountability to lead their business like a CEO. Designed for service-based entrepreneurs ready to move out of survival mode, CLIMB speaks to post-pandemic shifts in business expectations where women are no longer chasing hustle culture, but demanding freedom, clarity, and predictable income. "CLIMB isn't just a framework—it's a roadmap out of burnout. It gives women the structure and confidence they need to grow without sacrificing freedom," says Hahn.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chaos to Clarity: Business Strategist Launches CLIMB Framework to Tackle Burnout and Stabilize Coaches' Growth
Industry Strategist Katie Hahn Launches Groundbreaking Program to Address Burnout, Operational Chaos, and Inconsistent Income Among Women Entrepreneurs TOLEDO, Ohio, May 15, 2025 /CNW/ -- As the global coaching industry ascends to around $6.25 billion in 2024 in value and women continue to dominate online coaching spaces, a critical gap has emerged: the lack of operational and strategic infrastructure needed to sustain that growth. Today, seasoned business strategist Katie Hahn announces the launch of The CLIMB Framework — a comprehensive, systems-based program designed to help women-led coaching businesses stabilize, scale, and thrive without burnout. While the coaching space is booming in visibility, data paints a sobering picture behind the scenes. According to a report by the International Coaching Federation, approximately 72% of coach practitioners globally are women. Many are highly skilled in their craft, but struggle with the business backend — from clunky tech stacks to unclear offers to reactive sales processes. "We're in a time where more women than ever are stepping into entrepreneurship, but most are still running their businesses with hustle and guesswork. CLIMB meets that moment with clarity and strategy." said Hahn. The CLIMB Framework is built around five strategic pillars: C – Clarify your business model & client strategy L – Leverage systems & automation for stability I – Implement key metrics that drive growth M – Measure & optimize sales performance B – Benchmark for continuous improvement CLIMB isn't just tactical, it's transformational. The program includes a digital workbook, weekly live training, and a peer-supported community, giving women coaches the tools and accountability to lead their business like a CEO. Designed for service-based entrepreneurs ready to move out of survival mode, CLIMB speaks to post-pandemic shifts in business expectations where women are no longer chasing hustle culture, but demanding freedom, clarity, and predictable income. "CLIMB isn't just a framework—it's a roadmap out of burnout. It gives women the structure and confidence they need to grow without sacrificing freedom," says Hahn. To book a free clarity session, visit: About Katie HahnKatie Hahn is a business strategist with 16+ years of experience in operations, consulting, and sales leadership. She now helps women coaches streamline systems, simplify sales, and scale sustainably through her signature CLIMB Framework. Katie is known for turning business chaos into clarity—empowering entrepreneurs to grow with confidence, structure, and freedom. Contact: Hello@ Photo - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Katie Hahn View original content to download multimedia:
