Festive joy for young patients
WOMAN GIVES BACK TO CITY’S HEART UNIT
A WOMAN who had to have emergency heart surgery when she was 17 is helping to bring some Christmas cheer to critically ill children in hospital.
Calli Tully was born with a hole in her heart and needed open-heart surgery to remove a muscle mass that had developed.
She spent the beginning of December 2014 on Ward 23 at the Freeman Hospital, in High Heaton, Newcastle.
While she herself was lucky enough to be back home for Christmas that year, she was moved by the number of young patients who had to spend the festive season in hospital.
Now Calli, 23, wants to put a smile on the faces of children who will be in the heart unit over Christmas.
She raised more than £1,000 and has managed to fund 25 Christmas Eve bags full of toys, sweets, Santa letters and personalised teddy bears.
She also has new board games for the playrooms and 30 festive fleece blankets for the ward beds as well as some extra decorations.
The items will be delivered to the hospital.
Calli, a soft play manager from Dudley, North Tyneside, said: “It has been six years since I had my openheart surgery at the hospital.
“The doctors and staff were great and I couldn’t thank them enough. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.
“When I was in hospital, I remember people bringing in things like advent calendars for us. They did everything they could to make Christmas special.
“I was able to go home but there are many who cannot.
“I just wanted to do something for the children there and every year I raise money and go into the ward to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.
“This year has been so hard because of coronavirus. But I man
aged to raise money and make special Christmas Eve bags for the young people in hospital.
“I want to thank everyone who made donations. It’s been such a difficult year and people are struggling in so many ways.
“But they still made donations so we could put a smile on the faces of children who will be in hospital at Christmas. I really want to thank them for their help.”