Sunday 17 March 2019

The Amazing, Leeds-based BigThankYou NHS Campaign

At some point in our lives, there is no doubt that the wonderful NHS we have available to us in this country will have touched each and every one of us, for whatever reason.

I often hear grumbles about the service and those lengthy hospital waits, the lack of available doctors appointments, and I'll admit, I am quite guilty of doing this myself at times - but what if we actually stop moaning, sit back and look at what the NHS actually does do for us, in the positive light it so deserves... 

- the NHS service in Leeds recently cared for, operated on, and now gives on-going support for my beautiful baby nephew with his very rare Hirschsprung's Disease ...

- only last weekend I had to call an ambulance for my Mum who fell, passed out and broke a rib to help assist with her on-going medical conditions...

- last weekend again, my Dad was taken into our local NHS hospital and was operated on the very same evening in a bid to help relieve him of the agonising pain he found himself in...

- and then there's my lovely little Willow who, already in her short three years, seems to be a bit of an NHS regular (but more on that in a second)...

I have at least five members of my family who work within the NHS, in a range of different roles, and I know of many more people who daily, go out to work in a bid to help others.

Over these winter months there will undoubtedly be an increase in the amount of work they have to do too, so why don't we show these unsung heroes just how grateful we are for the amazing work that they do?

I urge every reader of this post to head on over to the Big Thank You website and write their own
NHS "Thank You" story within the gallery of gratitude-giving stories that can be found there.

Let's be responsible for spreading a little positivity.

But what is it that I most want to thank them for?

What is it that I am forever grateful to our NHS for?

Well, back to little Willow we go - it has to be - undoubtedly - the care they gave, and still do give, to her that I am most thankful for.

Willow suffered her first seizure on Boxing Day of 2016 - she was just 14 months old.

My Grandad had been taken into hospital the day before and despite Willow having a bit of sickness and diarrhoea and being off of her food she didn't seem overly "poorly" so we decided to still call into my Auntie's for her yearly Boxing Day party, we would wish everyone a Merry Christmas and then head back home.

Willow stayed with her Dad and brother at my Grandma's whilst I nipped out with my Dad to the hospital to see my Grandad - we were only going to see how he was and then go straight back, pick them up and then over to my Auntie's.

Whilst we were out - I'll add too that my Gran's house is literally five minutes away from the hospital - I happened to check my phone and noticed I had countless missed calls from my son, so I called him back and, aged only eleven at the time, he was frantic - hysterical - screaming down the phone.

Willow had suffered a seizure and her Dad was on the phone to 999, giving her first aid whilst the ambulance arrived.

We raced back to my Grandma's - what a hourrendous drive that was - and arrived at the same time as the ambulance.

My little baby was laid, very doll-like, very still, very eerily-quiet, on my Grandma's living room floor.

It was all a blur really, but after speaking to my Husband later, and then to my Dad - who was all the time gauging the paramedic's reactions to the situation - I have no doubt that if it hadn't been for their fast work, things may have been a lot more sinister than they were.

Later, after being discharged, coming home to Willow having another seizure and then being re-admitted with a short stay in the hospital to follow, Willow thankfully didn't have any more seizures...that is until she was 23 months old.

This time, again, after a bought of sickness, she passed out on the living room floor and had a seizure - the paramedics were called and they found her blood sugar levels were way down - to below 2...


Due to their fast work and actions again at getting us to hospital, it meant that (despite another seizure whilst we waited to be seen) Willow was admitted and after a week of tests we finally began to understand that her body doesn't produce ketones itself.

This means that when she is ill and loses sugars through sickness etc, her body doesn't "top them up" so if she isn't eating - which she doesn't when she feels off it - her blood sugar levels will just continue to drop until she cannot cope, has a seizure - or whatever would come next.

It is thanks to the NHS that we now understand this condition as a family.

It is thanks to the NHS that we have constant direct access to the children's ward at our local hospital if we need it
(and the amount of times I have called or popped up for advice is crazy and I have never been made to feel silly or that I am worrying unnecessarily)

It is thanks to the NHS that we have a care plan and medication in the house at all times so that if Willow is poorly - even with something as little as a cold - and it means she won't eat anything, we can give her a "magic drink" of her medicine to make sure her blood sugars don't have the opportunity to drop like they did before.

It is thanks to the NHS that we have six monthly assessments with a consultant who constantly reviews Willow and the condition.

It is thanks to the NHS that we know what we need to do to make sure we prevent - as much as we possibly can - our little girl falling so poorly again.

And for all of this - and so much more - I will be forever grateful to the NHS and I offer them a million BIG THANK YOU's

* sponsored post - all words, thoughts & content is 100% my own
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