Mum abseils for children's wards
On Sunday 25 September, mum of one, Naomi Temple, abseiled off the roof of the Holiday Inn hotel in Plymouth, to help raise vital funds for the children’s wards and the ‘brilliant staff’ who cared for her son, Jenson.
When Jenson was just six weeks old he was very poorly with bronchiolitis and was rushed to Derriford Hospital. He was cared for on Woodcock Ward but his condition deteriorated and he was moved to the children’s high dependency unit. He was later transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital, where he was treated for two weeks.
He recovered well and all was fine until June this year when he developed the infection again and, due to the damage to his lungs from the previous episode, he was admitted to Derriford’s Woodcock Ward for treatment. This time he remained in hospital for four days.
“When Jenson was admitted to Derriford, it was the single most terrifying experience of my life,” said Naomi. “The staff on Woodcock Ward were brilliant and very caring. They kept me and Sash [Jenson’s dad] very well informed of any changes in his treatment.
“Unfortunately he nearly went into cardiac arrest. The staff were very quick to respond to this but decided he needed more specialised care, hence he was transferred to CHDU and then PICU at Bristol Children’s Hospital.
“When he returned to Woodcock ward the second time with bronchiolitis the staff made sure they were up to date with the details from his last admission and did everything they could to prevent another trip to Bristol. They were very attentive and understanding and Jenson recovered quickly. I am so thankful for their wonderful care.”
Naomi at the top of the Holiday Inn Jenson has a few more trips to Derriford to come in the next few months, as he needs surgery, unrelated to the bronchiolitis, but other than that he is now a fit and active baby, keeping mum Naomi on her toes!
Naomi, who works in the Cardiology department at Derriford Hospital, read about the Superhero Abseil in the staff weekly newsletter.
“I’ve wanted to do something to give something back but didn’t know where to begin. I had never thought about doing an abseil and saw this as the right opportunity; this was my little way of saying thank you for looking after him," said Naomi.
“I really enjoyed the abseil and would definitely do it again. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. I would love to reach my target of £500 to help make the children’s wards a bit brighter and a little less scary for the poorly kids that come in.”
To help make life better for children in hospital, you can still show your support to Naomi and Jenson by going to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/doanabseil
The Superhero Abseil was held to raise money for the Gold Dust Appeal, which joined forces with the Children’s Happy Hospital Fund (CHHF) and Derriford Children’s Cancer Services (DCCS).
The Gold Dust Appeal aims to raise £100,000 to create a bright, exciting and welcoming environment throughout the children’s and young people’s areas on level 12 of Derriford Hospital.
