Tina Haynes

Tina Haynes is an activity worker from the Harbour Mental Health Hospital who has dedicated 20 years of her life working between the NHS and Children in Local Authority Care.

During these years she has worked tirelessly, sometimes unpaid to improve the lives of those more vulnerable than herself. She is known for her bubbly personality, funny dancing and throwing parties for special occasion for the patients on the ward.

On the morning of the 14th April Tina suffered a shocking and debilitating pain in her groin and back whilst at home.

She was taken by ambulance to Blackpool Victoria Hospital where she was misdiagnosed with Sciatica and sent home with pain relief to rest.

After falling asleep for 2 hours with the help of medication, Tina woke to find she had no feeling in one leg whatsoever. During a phone call to 111, she lost feeling in the other leg. By the time the ambulance arrived and she reached A&E for assessment, Tina was paralysed from the waist down.

After three different MRI scans, numerous extremely invasive and painful tests, lumbar punctures and blood tests, she was finally diagnosed with a rare spinal cord stroke. However , due to this being an extremely rare condition, doctors requested even more uncomfortable and painful tests to either confirm the diagnosis or to explore other consisting - the results of which we still do not know.

What we do know is that Tina has began to make a miraculous recovery and has since been moved to a rehabilitation centre for a twelve week placement - in order to learn to walk again. With the expertise of the neuro-physios and an extremely dedicated team, combined with Tina's sheer determination and strength, Tina has walked eighteen metres just seven weeks from total leg paralysis!

Unfortunately the rehabilitation centre can only offer a twelve week placement before Tina will be discharged to community where physio services are limited often to once a week.

Tina lives alone with her son and financially, like many of us, was already struggling with the cost of living crisis. Tina is also only contracted to two days a week pay with the NHS and ran a small beauty business from home that she will now be unable to do. She is also a home owner and therefore not entitled to housing allowance. To this end the next few months of her recovery will be fraught with extreme financial worry. In addition to this, Tina may require costly extra physio sessions in order to aid a full recovery.

Let me introduce myself, my name is Kelley and I'm not only a work colleague of Tina's , but also an extremely good friend. Tina has the ability to light up any room she walks into, her presence on the ward and in the hospital has the power to lift the mood of those around her, those who are suffering and anyone in her presence in fact. Tina works tirelessly to give her all to the patients (or colleagues) who may need some help or support. I for one am missing so many things about her. I miss being able to hear her voice before she appears on the ward , I miss her constantly trying to talk to me even when I walk off the ward (to go to the loo) and I really miss the sheer presence and energy she manages to give off. The Harbour Hospital just isn't the same without her and I for one want to see her back as soon as possible, running on the ward dressed in whatever costume befits the occasion being celebrated because right now we just don't have anyone who would without thinking, unselfishly spend hours of their own time doing things for the ward and the patients to help and support their recovery. I miss her getting the patients and staff up dancing, laughing until our sides ache and being the absolute life and soul of the team. I miss her side splitting funny Bingo sessions , her play your card right games and her karaoke skills... So let us try together to raise these funds to help alleviate any financial pressures, so that we can get her back to work doing what she loves the most. I can't wait to be able roll my eyes at her when she's forever interrupting me like she always does to tell me the latest idea she has for the ward. Tina really is an amazing colleague and equally amazing friend. We don't want Tina's recovery to be affected by any financial stress and we certainly don't want her to have to choose between keeping her home or learning to fully walk again.

We would like to raise money to help Tina during this time and give back to a person who has given so many other vulnerable people so much of herself.

We are trying to raise £3000 to aid her recovery, support her to live and ultimately bring her back to work!

We don't just want to see her walking again; we want to see her dance and dive onto the ward like she always does! So with your support, Tinas sheer willpower combined with the specialist services she'll need - we believe we can help make this a reality for her.

Time's are hard on us all right now, but if you can afford to give, please give to this wonderful cause.