Story
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Our wonderful daughter Nicola was seriously injured in a car crash on 29th May one month short of her 18th Birthday. In addition to broken legs and a broken pelvis Nicola also sustained severe diffuse head trauma and was admitted to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neuroscience (NHNN) on May 31st. To say that the NHNN has saved her life is no exageration, it's probably an understatement. Without the superb expert care of the wonderful nurses and doctors here in the Surgical ITU ("SITU") Nic would not be with us.</p>
<p>Please take a look at the latest edition of the NHNN Newsletter the National <a href="http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/Charities+at+UCLH/National+Hospital+Development+Foundation/home.htm">http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/Charities+at+UCLH/National+Hospital+Development+Foundation/home.htm</a></p>
<p> Which tells more of Nicola's story</p>
<p>However, Nicola's recovery is going to be a slong slow and hard progress, so this page has two aims, firstly as an inadeqaute expression of the gratitude we have to SITU for our daughter's life. Secondly to raise money for SITU for those things that will help Nicola and patients like her to recover better or faster. So if you can help us help SITU please do and tell your friends!</p>
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<p>SITU have asked for help to raise 800 pounds for Words+ communication aids. A significant number of patients in intensive care at the NHNN have complex conditions affecting their ability to communicate. Imagine trying to speak to your teenager when all you can ask them to do is to waggle a foot or blink for yes and you can see the frustration for the patient and the heartache for the relatives.</p>
<p>The computer company Advantech are interested in carrying out research studies in this field in the hope of improving the current technology. They have offered to provide free of charge, computers to support specialist software to enable communication by blink, moving a finger, slight puff of breath, or perhaps just wishful thinking! SITU needs to raise the money for the software.</p>
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<p>So for Nicki and all those who will benefit from this, and to show our appreciation to SITU for what they have already achieved for our Nic, please help in anyway you can.</p>
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<p>Nicola has now moved on from Queen Square to the Regional Rehabilitation Unit at Northwick Park Hospital to continue her recovery. everyday she is regaining lost ground, speaking, eating and learning to use her limbs again. N's A2 results came through and have been accepted by her first choice University (Essex) to read Psychology in 2011. A lot of hard work lies ahead to get Nic there, but thanks to SITU we have that challenge to take on!</p>
<p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. From my experience with DebRA I know Gift Aid is often forgotten but it increases the value of your donation at no cost to you AND if you are a higher rate tax payer you can claim higher rate relief in your tax return to lower your bill (or send it to SITU!).</p>
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<p>Thank you all so very much for your many messages, prayers and good wishes for Nicki, it is really appreciated by Pauline and I, we read them to Nicki and hope she hears them too, with this software perhaps we will know.</p>
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<p>UPDATE</p>
<p>On Friday 25th May Nic moved within the acute unit from SITU to HDU (Surgical Intensive Therapy Unit to High Dependency Unit). This is a sign that Nic's whilst still very unwell is moving from a critical condition to being more stable where we can think about rehab rather than surviving. Sadly in the four weeks Nic has been there we have seen others who despite the efforts of the fabulous staff haven't made it. This reminds us of how lucky we are to still have her and how much we owe the staff of the Acute Unit. The move to HDU is a very positive one, even though in reality its only a move next door and we still have the same wonderful team of nurses we have come to rely on so much in the past four weeks. Nic is moving forward and your support for SITU will help her and the patients in the acute unit so much. Thank you all once again.</p>
<p>UPDATE 2</p>
<p>On her 18th Birthday Nic moved from SITU/HDU on to the Acute Brain Injury Unit in the NHNN. Considering how often we feared that Nic would not make it to have a birthday at all this has been fabulous. The staff at SITU have maintained their interest in "their Nicki" visiting her and getting updates regularly. Clearly they go well beyond "doing the job" even when the patient moves on.</p>
<p>Five month Update, Nicki is visiting home regularly at the weekend as work towards a night at home and spending Christmas at home. We will be closing this page for SITU shortly but please reda the artcile in the National before we do. <a href="http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/Charities+at+UCLH/National+Hospital+Development+Foundation/home.htm">http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/Charities+at+UCLH/National+Hospital+Development+Foundation/home.htm</a>Thank you</p>
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<p>Peter Freeman</p>