A woman has launched a fundraiser for the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after staff saved her life on multiple occasions.
Liz Henderson, 39, hopes to give back to the “heroes” at the hospital after she spent most of lockdown as a patient in their intensive care unit.
The mum of three told Edinburgh Live that she has suffers with chronic health issues, however on May 21 she was admitted to hospital in a critical condition after she went into liver failure.
Although from Inverness, Liz was quickly airlifted to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as they were the closest hospital that could carry out a transplant.
Due to coronavirus restrictions, Liz was forced to go to Edinburgh alone, with her husband told she “wasn’t going to make it”.
However, due to the care and dedication from staff at the hospital, she was able to pull through and underwent a liver transplant, and is now campaigning for the people that “never gave up on her”.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Liz said:
“I want to raise as much as I can for them because they really went above and beyond for me, I was so so ill and really didn’t think I was going to make it.
“I was so ill, I needed bloods, transfusions, a transplant and some of my fingers and toes were amputated.
“Even though it was during COVID the standard of care for me and for my family was second to none.
“They got my husband a room in Edinburgh for three days when I was critically ill, they also sent videos of me to my family so they could see me and how I was doing.
“Then when my breathing tubes came out they used their phones to call my family and let me speak to them. that was really important for my youngest, he’s only 12.”
Thankfully, Liz was able to recover and leave the hospital after eight weeks and has now returned home to her family.
However, even though she is no longer an in patient, she has been immensely grateful for the aftercare she has received from the Royal Infirmary, and makes the trip there every second week for a transplant check up.
She added:
“I really do owe them everything, even now I go every second week for a check, I also have a 24 hour number that I can call at any time if I’m in pain.
“I have never felt like they have left me to get on with it, they have been there every step of the way”.
Now, Liz and her family have set a Go Fund Me target of £10,000 that they hope to raise for the hospital in a bid to give back to the staff there after all they did for her.
“They deserve more than the money”, said Liz, “I just want to show my appreciation for everything they have done for me, I really can’t explain all they’ve done for me.”
To find out more about the fundraiser or donate to the page, you can follow the link here.