There's only one Lady M!
We would love you to join us on our journey as we raise money for the incredible ICU Department at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, Greater Manchester.
We have all seen the affects the Coronavirus has had on many people across the world – it becomes all so real when it happens to someone you love. I can honestly say, it’s gut-wrenching. Our beloved Marina has lived to tell the tale and we couldn’t be any more grateful for the magnificent staff working tirelessly on the front line in the ICU Department at Stepping Hill who saved her life.
Jody Wright (Marina’s bestie) and Bronwyn Cooper (Marina’s eldest daughter) will be cycling from Manchester to Liverpool on Sunday 12 July 2020 starting from the City Centre and heading up the Trans Pennine Trail finishing at the Albert Docks. Click on the below link for the route:
Manchester to Liverpool Docks Route 
Bronwyn & Jody in their new vests ready for the Challenge!
If you would like to donate, that would be amazing! Every single donation would be so gratefully received. We are working with the ICU Department to ensure they receive the money raised either by transfer of funds or the purchase of a much-needed piece of equipment – this is yet to be determined but we will keep you updated!
Read Marina’s story below, told by her daughter Bronwyn….
10 April 2020
Mum started showing symptoms of coronavirus; a fever and raging headache and over the following couple of days had started to develop a cough.
Between 13 – 16 April, myself and Dave (Mum’s Husband) called the Doctors and 111 for advice as Mum’s condition was showing no signs of improvement. We were told over and over that Mum needed to just self-isolate as she wasn’t gasping for breath.
17 April 2020
A week later and there were still no signs of Mum’s symptoms letting up. In addition to this, we noticed that Mum seemed confused and wasn’t making sense; it was taking longer for her to register what was being said and she began talking about random things like Easter eggs when we were having a conversation about her medication.
Around 19:30 – 20:00, we were getting more and more concerned and we called an ambulance – my gut was telling me something was wrong….and I was right!
The ambulance arrived half an hour later, completed their observations and said her 02 sats were 62% when they should be 98/99% - this meant that she had to be given oxygen and taken to hospital. I can’t tell you how frightening this was – she had to be taken on her own and we had to stay at home.
We called the hospital at 22:00 for an update and was told that Mum was placed in an ‘oxygen hood’ but that her lungs were not responding the way they needed to. The hospital confirmed she may need a ventilator. At around 2:00am in the morning, Mum called Dave and told him she was being taken to ICU. She also told him that she might not see him again. The pain that followed this call was absolutely unbearable. We couldn’t see her, we now couldn’t speak to her and had to rely solely on the one phone call per day from the hospital.
18 April 2020
We called the hospital for an update first thing and they confirmed that they had to put Mum in an induced coma along with the use of a ventilator. They explained that it isn’t a short process and it would be for at least a week and that there would be no guarantee the ventilator would work as the virus is a killer. They tried to reassure us that she was in the right place but for us to also expect the worst.
This was quite possibly the worst time of my life. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her – I felt a physical pain every day she was there but I had to try to stay so positive. I have no idea how I managed to hold everything together. Dave got ill shortly after Mum was taken in, I looked after him during this time as he isolated for 10 days; checking on him every hour in case he too deteriorated. I sanitised the house every 5 minutes, looked after the dogs, kept in touch with all her friends and family giving them updates when we got them.
Waiting for the daily phone call from the hospital seemed like a life time and every time the phone rang my heart was in my mouth. The hardest part was having to tell my brother and sister how poorly she was over the phone; we are such a close family and it just felt very wrong; hearing how upset they were was heart-breaking.
With Mum in hospital and Dave poorly, our house was a very lonely place to be – I struggled with my emotions, just being in the house and trying to keep my mind occupied and positive was so hard, but I had to be strong for my Mum, Dave, family and friends.
Each day we would receive a call from the hospital with a brief update which was that Mum is ‘responding well and is stable’.
27 April 2020
Mum came off the ventilator but was still dependent on oxygen however, her lungs were strong enough to breathe on her own! In subsequent days, Mum was moved from ICU to high dependency where she began to work with physios – she had to learn to walk and talk again! She no longer needed the oxygen and could breathe on her own though so that was amazing!!
In the days that followed, Mum got stronger; the physios were amazed at how strong and ambitious she was and quickly started to walk without the Zimmer frame.
03 May 2020
6 days after coming off the ventilator, Mum WALKED out of hospital and came home.
I just cannot thank the nurses and doctors enough, they brought my Mum and my best friend back home. If it wasn’t for the bravery, skills and compassion of all who work on ICU, it would be a different story. They saved her life and we will be forever grateful to each and every one of them x
Here are some pics of my gorgeous Mum....
MESSAGE FROM MARINA....
I cannot express my gratitude to the Doctors and Nurses on the ICU ward for saving my life. I also want to thank my amazing Daughter and Husband for knowing me so well and calling the ambulance when they did, despite being told otherwise - I will be forever in your debt.
I will never forget the overwhelming support from my family and friends during this time. When I finally switched on my phone when I was able, it was going mad - over 600 messages!
I want to share awareness that sometimes you need to go with your gut. Please be extremely careful and get medical attention if you feel it's needed - I wasn't gasping for breath but I absolutely needed to be in hospital.
Thank you in advance for supporting Bronwyn and Jody on their challenge - I'm so proud of them both for arranging it and raising money for the unit xx
