Spinal cord staff to raise charity cash for inspirational paralysis patients
Staff at the heart of helping some of the city’s poorliest paralysis and spinal cord patients are trekking nearly 300 miles for Sheffield Hospitals Charity in a bid to enhance the care of the people they treat.
Rambling duo Angela Pass and Zoe Farnsworth will walk 287 miles along the Pennine Way- fittingly referred to as the ‘backbone of Britain’.
The money raised will provide services patients themselves have called for, including a multifunctional relaxation room to help patients with paralysis and even those on ventilators to socialise with each other.
Angela said: “In August, Zoe and I are packing up and strapping up to walk the Pennine Way because we want to make a difference and further improve the care of patients on Osborn One at the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injury Centre.
“Patients on Osborn One have injuries resulting from traumatic incidents, medical problems and everyday accidents. Their life has changed forever in one way or another and each patient is affected differently, so we deliver unique care to every individual."
“All staff on the unit put 100 per cent into their job, resulting in our patients leaving us as independent people who have learnt to live with their condition and love themselves despite their injuries. This is why we want to raise the money.”
The Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injury Centre, based at the Northern General Hospital, is one in 12 across England. Patients come to Sheffield from around the country for rehabilitation after they have acquired a spinal cord injury.
Osborn One, which treats those with acute spinal injuries, receives patients from intensive care and high dependency units. Patients on this ward are often still coming to terms with their injuries, finding ways to adjust and cope.
“Patients often feedback that they are eager to be more independent and have equipment available that will make them feel more like themselves and less like they are an illness. We are very keen to achieve this vision
“We would like the funds we raise to be put towards to a multifunctional room that will be available to all patients, particularly those who have a higher and more compromising paralysis, those with tracheostomies (an incision in the windpipe made to relieve an obstruction to breathing) and those who are ventilator dependent.
“We hope the room will be somewhere where patients can relax and socialise together, and offer therapeutic methods of treatment to diverse the care the unit delivers,” Angela said.
Angela and Zoe are aiming to walk the 287 mile trek this August in just sixteen days, with only a tent, a map, a compass and each other!
To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/angandzoe
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