With the help of close friends, the Burgess-Hall family organised a sponsored walk that began at Doncaster Royal Infirmary (DRI) and saw participants journey all the way over to Bassetlaw ITU, covering a distance of roughly 17 miles. Taking place on a frosty January weekend, and lasting for approximately 6 hrs, it was a truly demanding trek one that the kind well-wishers happily embarked on to support their local hospital.
In fact, the walk ended up raking in an impressive total of £1,066, which was then donated to Bassetlaw ITU, in recognition of how they looked after Robin and made him feel comfortable during his lengthy hospital stay. Having spent eight weeks in an induced coma, during which time his chances did not look good, Robin was moved around between various care providers, but ended up spending most of his time at the Worksop based hospital. There, he received such excellent and attentive care, that his family decided to pull together in order to express their gratitude.
Speaking about the resultant sponsored event, Robin’s daughter, Jodie, said: “Our dad spent best part of 8 weeks in an induced coma, moving between Bassetlaw, Doncaster and Sheffield ITU wards. We were told a couple of times that he wouldn’t make it. The staff from each hospital were exceptional and we just thought that it would be a nice thing to try and raise some money to give them a little something back. My friend suggested that we do a walk from one ITU to the other, so we did just that.’’
Meanwhile, Robin himself had nothing but great things to say about the team that watched over him, adding: “I’m so appreciative of all staff; from the consultants all the way down to the domestic staff. I’d also like to thank DRI critical care and S12 ENT ward for all their help. Words can’t express how grateful I really am for the support me and my family received, whilst I was being cared for at ITU.”
Upon receiving the generous contribution, Joanne Birch, sister at Bassetlaw ITU, gave thanks on behalf of the hospital, saying: ‘’We are so touched by this fantastic gesture. It really means a lot to us when a patient’s loved ones go to such incredible lengths to support the work we do, and we are so excited to begin putting these funds to good use!’’
After eight weeks in his coma, Robin is now safe at home and well on the road to recovery.
If you would like to make a charitable donation to Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), click here to find out how.