The Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) at Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital has taken delivery of two new pieces of equipment donated by the widow of a popular chef who spent his final days in the unit.
So well-loved was Aston Villa fan Sean Kelly, a chef at the NEC for more than 25 years, that around 400 people attended his funeral last year and raised £1,300 which was split between the ITU unit, Acorn’s Children’s Hospice and Heart Research UK.
The money raised for the ITU Unit at Heartlands, part of the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, has been spent on a Dyson fan and a T Roll positional aid on the request of Sean’s wife Jane.
Sean was just 56 when he died last year following a brave battle against a bacterial infection. Jane, 51, from South Yardley, explained why she was keen to donate equipment that would help with comfort for patients.
She said: “The staff in the ITU do such a fantastic job in very difficult, emotionally-charged circumstances. Sean fought so hard against a horrible condition, as did the surgeons and everyone else around him. I wanted to use some of the money raised to help the staff, patients and their families.
“When Sean was in ITU it was the summer and really hot. Although ITU has air conditioning the fans are also of huge comfort and benefit to patients so I wanted to use some of the money for a really good one.
“The T-Roll was for similar reasons. Because Sean was so weak he did not have the strength to pull himself up and he wasn’t the sort of man who wanted to make a fuss. T-rolls helped with this so I thought it would be nice to get one for the unit.
“Obviously money is often spent on medical things but I thought it would be good to get some equipment to help with comfort and care. It was nice to come back and see them being used.”
Colette Iles, Matron for Critical Care at Heartlands, thanked Jane for her kind donation.
She said: “Sean fought his condition with fantastic bravery while he was on the ITU at Heartlands. It is a wonderful gesture from Jane to donate this equipment which has already been put to good use on the unit.
“It can be a very emotional and challenging environment to work on in ITU so it is nice to see that the support given to Sean and Jane during his stay has been so well appreciated and I would like to express my thanks to Jane for thinking of the unit and other patients and their families with this donation.”
If you are interested in raising money for your local Hospital, or a particular department, contact the Fundraising Team on 0121 424 3838 or email: fundraising@heartofengland.nhs.uk
