Grateful families raise funds for hospital staff

Families rally round Critical Care staff at QE.

For both Laura-Jenny Melvin Smith and Jessica Blundell, their worlds were turned upside down when their mothers were admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham after testing positive for Covid-19. Both daughters have been overwhelmed with the care provided by the amazing staff on the Critical Care Unit and have been fundraising to say thank you for looking after their moms so well.

Laura set herself the epic challenge of running a marathon throughout March to raise money. Her mum Lorraine has been in critical care for over eleven weeks now but continues to make improvements.

Speaking of the care Lorraine has received, Laura said: “I cannot fault the care my Mom is receiving and how all the staff are with me and my family in such difficult circumstances. They are making and taking every opportunity to organise for me and the rest of the family to be with Mom virtually.”

Thanks to their generous supporters, UHB Charity has been able to support our patients and staff throughout the pandemic, providing over 600 tablets to help patients like Lorraine to stay in touch with their families.

Laura has raised over £1000, and surpassed her running target, running a total of 64.23 miles throughout the month. Laura continues to fundraise for UHB Charity whilst her Mom continues to be cared for at the QEHB.

Jessica’s mom Deborah was also extremely unwell and at one point the family came into the hospital to say their goodbyes as doctors feared Deborah would not make it. Thankfully she pulled through and has been continuing to recover. Jessica said: “We feel so blessed our beloved Mom is still with us and we will forever be in the critical care staff’s debt.”

Jessica, her aunt Julie, and the rest of their family very kindly supplied care packages for the staff on critical care, and made various incredibly generous donations to the charity.

Charlotte Schofield, Director of Fundraising at UHB Charity, said: “We are so pleased to hear Deborah is recovering on a non-Covid ward and we wish her all the best. In an outstanding act of generosity, the family have chosen to donate a staggering £36,000 to help staff on critical care in the months ahead as they continue to fight on the frontline and save more people like Deborah. This generous donation will make a large and long lasting difference to staff and patients at the QE.”

UHB Charity is committed to continue to support their staff. To find out more visit their website.