Nottingham Hospitals Charity supports patients and staff across Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham Children's Hospital and Ropewalk House.

Nottingham Hospitals treat over 12,000 patients each day and each donation helps them continue their care.

My name is Meryl and I’m going to do an abseil on the 7th of September, 2024, 100 feet from the roof of the Queen’s medical Centre.

Why, you may ask?

This, as a thank you to all staff at the Adult Intensive Care Unit (AICU) at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham and at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at the City Hospital, Nottingham.

I want to thank the Consultants in Intensive Care Medicine, the Neurology Consultants, the Renal Consultants, the Microbiology Consultants, the nurses, the dieticians, the radiographers, the pharmacists, the porters, the catering assistants, the physiotherapists, the occupational therapists, the chaplains and the cleaning staff.

I’m doing this to give something back to all those who were involved in my sister Esther’s care.

Esther was my big sister.

She was not just a sister to me, but to my siblings too.

Esther was mother to my nieces and nephews, grand-mother to my great-nieces and great-nephews, a great grand-mother to my great great-nephew and she was a friend to many, a community spirited, kind, caring and generous woman.

Esther was admitted to hospital having contracted sepsis NHS - How to recognise Sepsis

Esther was initially admitted to the Queen’s Medical Centre, but spent the majority of her admission in the CCU at the City Hospital.

Here she was cared for by a huge team.

For five weeks, Esther fought so hard with the tremendous care given to her, by all of the staff involved in her care.

Esther battled to cling on to life, but sadly the infection was too great and overwhelmed her.

Esther lost her fight in November 2023.

I want to raise money for ‘extras’ to make life more comfortable for patients and to make the whole experience for families a little more tolerable.

I’m hoping that the money raised will go towards buying things like a supportive armchair, DAB radios and fans for patients and any other equipment to make being a patient in the CCU more bearable.

My hope is that these ‘extras’ will make the delivery of care to very sick patients, a little easier too.

Anyone who has had experience of the AICU or the CCU will have seen, first hand, the dedication and care, whole heartedly given by this staff group.

For this reason, I’m asking you to please sponsor me, if you can.

In doing so, you will be supporting those patients, who find themselves needing this essential branch of medicine and hospital provision.

I would be extremely grateful for any amount that you can spare.

Thank you on behalf of Esther, my family and myself.