After my younger sister, Fab, had a second aneurysm diagnosed earlier this year, we were desperate to find the best place for treatment for her. After a lot of research Addenbrooke's in Cambridge seemed to be the perfect place.

 

It was by no means an easy ride, with the first surgery being unsuccessful and trips in and out of the high dependency unit, but after 10 days she was finally allowed to leave the hospital and come home to begin her recovery. Without the fantastic help from the team at Addenbrooke's, especially Mr Kirkpatrick, Dr Higgins and their teams, I really don't think that we would be the family that we are today - although I have to tell you that the tenacity of my little sis made their job easier from the start...there was no way she was going to let it beat her.

 

We really have so much to thank them for. During those early days out of hospital, I started thinking that I should do something that pushed me really hard, beyond my limits if I could; nothing any of us do can be close to what Fab fought for, but this makes me feel like I'm at least trying. Jus was more than keen to rise to the challenge, as ever and Emma was nodding before the words had fully left my mouth....! So, on the 29th November we will be running the Florence Marathon with such an incentive to get to the end!

 

Please help however you can, I know this year has been a difficult one financially, we're all feeling it. But seeing how easy it can be to save a life with the right equipment...I would love for nobody to have to go through what we've all gone through, but that's not achievable....what is achievable is to make the team's job easier so that they can diagnose and treat quicker.

 

The Portable CT Scanner

ACT's major project this year is to raise £254,000 for a portable CT scanner for Neurosciences at Addenbrooke's.

It can currently take up to one hour for a team of staff to take a very sick patient down to the static scanner. The portable scanner can be used at the bedside in a ward, in theatre or in intensive care. It is urgently required.

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