Joel walmsley
The Cycle of Life Back to Utrecht
Fundraising for The Intensive Care Foundation
Story
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving pagecember</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">On the 26th of December 2010 I was rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">On examination I was found to have a collapsed lung and severe pneumonia. </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">This however was the least of my problems. I had also contracted a bacteria known as Streptococcus, it had entered my blood stream and my body had started to go into Toxic Shock. </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">As my condition started to deteriorate my organs began to shut down and I was put into a coma.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">With all my organs being kept alive by machines the outlook was grim the doctors rated my chance of survival at less than 10%.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Luckily for me the doctors and nurses in the Kingston intensive care unit are some of the best in the world and against all odds saved my life.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">I was in a coma for three weeks after being admitted, when I awoke I was to say the least a little confused.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">I thought I was in Utrecht in Holland a place I have never been to in my life.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">After months of intensive physio I am nearly back to my former health. Due to poor circulation at the time I have lost three toes but it could and should of been a lot worse</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">I never thought I would end up in intensive care having never been ill in my life.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color: #1b1b1b;"><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000;">To give something back to the doctors that saved my life and </span>to facilitate and support high quality collaborative intensive care research, improve quality of care, patient safety and hence outcome for patients my team and I have decided to cycle to Utrecht. The place I thought I was when I awoke from my coma.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color: #1b1b1b;">Please sponsor me on my epic journey back to Utrecht!</p>
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