For Mum.
Donation protected
Hi everyone,
Our names are Ben & Jack and On New Year’s Day our lives were flipped upside down when our Mum was rushed into hospital.
She’d been out with friends on New Year’s Eve when she began to feel unwell, so decided to go back to a friends house where she was staying for the night. It became apparent to Mum’s friend’s the day after that something wasn’t quite right, as she was confused and seemed drunk, but hadn’t had a drink and was struggling more and more to breathe.
They called an Ambulance and when Paramedics arrived we realised quickly this was very serious, as her oxygen Sats had dropped to the mid 70’s, which can be fatal. She was blue lighted to A&E Resus ward and put on maximum oxygen following a chest X-ray which indicated a severe case of Pneumonia. Jack and I were terrified, but Mum being Mum just asked for a cup of tea!
It wasn’t until we saw a consultant that we realised just how serious things were. We were told that the Pneumonia had turned to Sepsis Shock and the oxygen she was being given was not enough to support her dropping levels, so she was rushed to Critical and Intensive care to be sedated into an induced coma and put onto a ventilator to give her lungs rest and to breathe for her. Jack and I told Mum we loved her and thought this would be the last time we would see her alive, as the sepsis had attacked her Kidneys, Lungs and Heart. It was and remains without doubt the worse evening of our lives.
As the Doctors didn’t know the root cause of Mum’s Pneumonia, they treated for several virus’s they thought could have been to blame. We later found it was Strep A, however due to the medication and drugs used, we were informed that Mums smaller blood vessels had been restricted, as the organs needed the blood more. This meant if she was to survive, she would lose both her hands, feet and possible her tongue. Jack and I were asked what Mum would want, wether she would want to be let go or survive with no limbs. Our answer was, and will always be to keep her with us, so she can hug her grandkids, watch Jack get married and have children, spend time with the people she loves and enjoy the rest of her life the best way she can. Her tongue now looks good, but they have confirmed she will lose her hands and feet.
As many will know, Mum is always on the move. Swimming, walking and cycling have always been a big part of her life and she’s worked hard at Betty’s, York for nearly 30 years waitressing. We are absolutely devastated that the outcome is what it is, but losing Mum at 61, with her infectious energy and joy for life just wasn’t an option.
She still has a long way to go, as at the time of writing this she hasn’t undergone surgery yet, due to her still being too unwell. There is still a possibility we will lose her, infection risks are still there and her immune system is very weak. But she’s fighting and we’re so proud. With this said we want to give her something back, for everything she’s done for us. We also want to thank ICU at York Hospital and all their absolutely amazing staff, whatever the outcome may be. Not just for their medical care but their personal approach. The professionalism, dedication and empathy they have shown has been comforting for us along with Mum’s friends and other family members, in the most difficult weeks of our lives.
So, what are we doing? Well, we don’t know what the future holds quite yet, but if we’re lucky enough to have Mum with us for the next 10,15,20+ years, then we know things are going to need to change. She’s going to need daily care and one day in the not too distance future, we hope to give her the opportunity for prosthetics and generally a good quality of life under the circumstances. We are looking into support from her bank to cover her mortgage via critical care illness and her employers at Bettys, York have been amazing throughout this difficult time in assuring us Mum will be looked after. Jack and I will also be helping her financially. We don’t want this to be a charity case, we just feel we need to do something to raise as much as we can so that she has options. We’d also like to give a percentage of funds raised to ICU York, to help in any way possible. Although they seem happy enough with the cakes and tea from Betty’s!
So on October 20th 2024, Jack and I will run Yorkshire Marathon together, for Mum. If everything goes well and Mum is still with us and able, we would love to push her round with us in the same way Kevin Sinfield has with his friend Rob Burrows, and we’re pretty sure Mum would love that too.
We’ve set a target of £26,200 - That’s a thousand pounds per mile on the day, to which we will donate £5,000 to ICU York.
Mum has tonnes of friends and has touched so many people’s hearts over the years. She’s the most selfless, kind and generous person you’d ever wish to meet and she does not deserve this. We have been told that the chances of her being admitted to A&E through the initial bug she had, is 1:1000. We’re going to do all we can to give her a life she deserves, and one that is worth living after she gets out of the hospital, and your help would be really appreciated.
Mum always says “Live for today, you never know when your times up”. She’s literally said it nearly every time we speak to her. She has no regrets and has lived an amazing life. Doctors have said if she wasn’t as fit as she was, there’s no chance she’d have survived. But she did. She’s been given another chance, and whilst she’s still here we intend to milk every single second of it. May this be a reminder to never take your parents or relatives for granted. Mum had never so much as had a cold before and in the space of 2 days her whole life has changed. All we’re trying to do is provide her with everything she needs as and when she needs it, for the day we get her home.
Thankyou in advance for your support.
Organizer
Ben Neal
Organizer
England