Friends and family of a well-known Starcross resident have rallied to raise nearly £10,000 to thank the hospital that saved his life earlier this year.
Jim Carpenter, 70, spent weeks fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) after developing sepsis following emergency surgery in June.
The retired window cleaner and grandfather of 12 was discharged from hospital three months later, but it was during his time there that his family decided to support a fundraising appeal for a new ICU Garden.
His son Ben said the family were grateful for the ‘outstanding’ care, compassion and dedication shown by every member of the ICU team and wanted to find a way to give something back.
“They supported not only our dad, but our entire family, with kindness, professionalism and genuine compassion,” said Ben.
“We spent many hours in the hospital and spotted a banner about the appeal and felt like the fundraiser was the perfect way to give something back to the incredible team who have given so much to our family.
“Dad was taken outside on two or three occasions but it was far from ideal and we all agreed what a difference a garden would make.”
The family held a Fun Day at the Starcross Royal British Legion in September, raising £9,445 for Royal Devon Hospitals Charity (RDHC), which raises funds to enhance hospital care beyond what’s possible with NHS funding.
The money will boost the charity’s bid to raise £160,000 to transform an unused corner of the RD&E into a peaceful green space for critically ill patients unable to leave their hospital bed.
Work on the new garden began in the summer and, once complete, it will enable ICU staff to take patients, together with any medical equipment, outside to enjoy precious moments with their families.
ICU Garden Project Lead Andrew Lockwood said: “For people fighting for their lives in Intensive Care, days can stretch into weeks without ever feeling the sun or breathing fresh air. This garden will change that.
“We know that an accessible outside space like this will make such a big difference to our patients and studies show that it can help speed up their recovery.
Unfortunately, this type of space just isn’t possible with NHS funding.
– Andrew Lockwood, ICU Garden Project Lead
“We are very grateful to the local community for their kind support.”
Welcoming Jim and his family back to the hospital to see the progress on the new garden, Debbie Allen, RDHC Community Fundraiser, thanked the family for their support.
“Jim’s family have done an incredible job and it’s thanks to support like theirs that this wonderful project is becoming a reality.
“It was very special to see Jim and his children and grandchildren present their fundraising cheque to ICU staff. It has been a challenging and emotional few months for the family and it was also a lovely moment for them to be able to come back to the hospital to see progress on the garden and to thank staff for the incredible care that Jim had received.”
