The hospital packs I made were sent out last Friday. Iv had lots of feed back from the recipients so here's a few picks and comments from the winners.
The above pics are from Robyn Toseland here's what she said about he packs.
Today the postman delivered the most wonderful gift, & I am completely & utterly overwhelmed!
The lovely Kirstie Tancock has cystic fibrosis, & recently had her second double lung transplant. She is absolutely amazing, & even though she is still recovering from her most recent lung transplant - she continues to do all that she can to put a smile on the faces of others suffering chronic illnesses.
Whilst I was recently in hospital, Kirstie asked people to nominate those who may benefit from a 'hospital survival pack', which she has spent months putting together with help from local businesses. Little did I know that the lovely Angie Bruns, nominated me for one!
At the end of last month, I was discharged after 17 days in hospital, & came home to find a message from Kirstie to say that I had been nominated for a survival pack, & that I had won one!
I was so shocked & couldn't believe it - & didn't actually believe it until it arrived today! I'm completely overwhelmed & feel so incredibly lucky! I opened the box with tear filled eyes! I literally can't believe that someone felt I was worthy of such a wonderful gift! I really don't feel that I deserve it, but I am truly forever grateful! I have the biggest smile on my face today, & can't stop looking at my wonderful goodies! I'm currently wrapped in my gorgeously pink & fluffy blanket, & am absolutely loving every single thing! Even better, is that there are loads of pink things - which is totally amazing! There's lots of chocolate too, which always makes everything better!
I find it really hard to understand why someone thinks I'm worthy of something so lovely - something which will provide a little light, during the darkness on super poorly days! I can never understand why people sometimes say that I'm "brave", "amazing" an "inspiration", because in all honestly, I feel that I haven't handled my health issues in a way that I should have - there are times where I just didn't know what to do with myself, or how to move forward. Crying into my pillow, thinking that it's all so unfair! I have my dark days, & sometimes wonder "why me?", but then I think, why not me!? I'm not anyone special, & my poorliness can't be helped. It will be, what it will be! It would be so easy to be angry with my body, but I actually think it's pretty incredible for getting me through two life-threatening events - a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism with substantial right heart impairment in 2008, & then in 2011, a retroperitoneal haemorrhage in which I lost six pints of blood. It is unfortunate that I continue to suffer the consequences following the damage that the blood clots did to my body & my heart - but I'm still counting my blessings! It's times like this that I realise how lucky I am, & how truly privileged I am to have so many wonderful people in my life! Feeling very special right now - I'm so grateful to you, Angie, for nominating me! I really do believe that "only in the darkness, can you see the stars!"
I literally can't thank you enough, Kirstie. Your kindness, compassion & determination to help others, is completely inspiring! I'm so overwhelmed & truly touched that you felt I was worthy of something so wonderful! A million pink thank you's to you, & to everyone that helped you put the amazing 'hospital survival pack' together. You've made me the happiest girlie! Your amazing survival packs will totally make poorly days a little happier! I'm now ready for anything that my health may throw at me, & can inject a little pink into every hospital stay! During my recent hospital admission, the nurses called me "pinky" & "pink princess", so everything in the pack lives up to my hospital nickname perfectly!
This is Gemma fearing with all her goodies.
Sadly one of the recipients didn't receive there pack. My friend Gerard who helped me thro chronic rejection and radiation passed away. He was a great friend and a fellow advocate at live life then give life. I couldn't help hi the way he helped me and I hoped the pack would help make him more comfortable in his last few weeks but it wasn't ment to be. I'm thinking of his family at this time and hoping he is breathing easy.
These packs have given some very ill people a small bit of happiness and I'm humbled that I could give that to them. The message of these packs is not only to make them feel happier in hospital, to bring them some luxuries and comfort. It was to let them know that in there darkest moment people are sending them love, thinking of them and hoping they get better. To let them know they are not alone.
I hope to do these packs again next year towards the end of the year. £1100 was raised for these packs, thank you to those amazing people who donated money and others who bought and sent items for them. Without you this wouldn't have been possible and I know that some of those people donated when I was extremely ill and I can tell you it kept me occupied in that time and made me happy knowing I was helping others. So from the bottom of my heart and from all those who received a pack thank you.
A little update on myself, I'm back at work in the admin department and doing over time on the shop floor. It was hard at first but iv settled in and feel happy now although at first I felt overwhelmed and not ready. Most evenings me and Stuart have been decorating our new house that we bought! My dream come true. We have ripped out carpets, painted and worked hard and now our house is our home. I feel so comfortable here, happy and relaxed. It's like it was ment to be my home. Were still doing stuff but have now moved in. It should be ready for Christmas. Here's a picture of the living room.
Also in November I won pride of Exeter hero of the year award here's a video of what winning ment to me.
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/VIDEO-winning-means-Pride-Exeter-award-winners/story-20086591-detail/story.html
And finally a few photos I had done for some modelling back in October
Oh and a artical in the daily mail and daily star on me and Katie gammon.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2525174/Best-friends-dying-lung-disease-receive-life-saving-transplants-DAY.html
I will be blogging again soon x
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