Life Flight
18 June 2014Here is a trailer for the Life flight Program in which some of our staff star in with our patients
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The Critical Care Trust
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Update for 23/05/2014
23 May 2014 -
Update for 19/04/2014
19 April 2014Thank you to Gemma, Chantel, Chris, Jo and our mystery giver for your donations! We are in desperate need of money for printing costs this will help us with that!
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Shannon's Story
16 April 2014I was a patient in the Wellington intensive care unit for 7 weeks when i was 15 years old. I was admitted to ICU after becoming gravely ill from complications of Glandular Fever. My lungs were so damaged from the infection that air was leaking from my lungs into the surrounding tissues. I was on life support with 9 drains in my chest to allow the air and fluid to escape the chest wall so that my lungs would remain inflated. I remained on life support in a drug induced coma for three and half weeks, during which time my condition was extremely unstable. This was an incredibly hard time for my family as they needed to prepare themselves that i may not survive. My parents were at my bedside everyday, as well as caring for my 10 year old sister, and 18 year old brother. After three and a half weeks, a hole was made in my neck (Tracheostomy) so that the life support could continue while i was awake. The drugs were slowly reduced and my family waited for me to open my eyes and see what effect the weeks of poor oxygen had done to my brain. Through the haze of morphine I awoke to the scary world of ICU, my brain was intact, but i was not myself. I wasn't able to talk with the traceostomy in, and found communication incredibly frustrating. After three and a half weeks in a coma my muscles had wasted away and i was barely able to lift my arm off the bed. Due to the infection i constantly felt burning hot and uncomfortable. I had scary dreams and hallucinations, and was constantly pulling my tubes and lines out, until i had to have my arms pinned to the bed Over the next three weeks it felt like 1 step forward and 2 steps backwards, as chest drains were removed more holes would form in my lungs, as my tubes feeds were increased i had a stomach bleed, and as the drugs were weaned i continued to be delirious and difficult. A change came when i was moved next to a window, and my circadian rhythms returned. With the help of many nurses i was able to be wheeled to the shower. Slowly my drains came out, and by 6 weeks there was only one left and i could now cope off life support. My traceostomy was removed and i was breathing on my own with some oxygen. I began to stand, training my leg muscles to walk again. I was well enough to leave the ICU now... and would you believe it, i didn't want to go... My family and i had formed such amazing relationships with many of the staff and ICU had become our comfort zone. I had to rehabilitate in the children's ward for a further month before being discharged home on oxygen, having tube feeds and physiotherapy, and so glad to be alive! My time spent in ICU was a defining time in my life, and an experience that completely shaped who i am today. I went on to study nursing and achieved my goal of volunteering in a third world country. I am now a neonatal intensive care nurse, married and have just had my first child. Life is good!
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