Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Thanks to hospital
Family raise cash for ICU
The kind-hearted family of a beloved Lanarkshire grandfather who sadly passed away after suffering bleeding in his oesophagus continue to do their bit for the medical team at Monklands Hospital who cared for him during his final days.
Shane Donald Henderson, 51, died last June and his loved ones wanted to give something back to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) staff.
Last year, they collected donations totalling £850 and this time around they bettered that with an impressive £1200.
Shane’s daughter Toni Louise presented the cheque to the delighted team and was quick to thank everyone who contributed to the donation.
She said: “We managed to raise £1200 and are absolutely delighted with the total.”
Reflecting on the care and kindness the ICU team provided to her dad and the family, Toni Louise, 21, said: “My dad was in the ICU for six days and was in a coma.
“Because of the coronavirus, our contact with him was limited. One day we were allowed to stand outside while a staff member dressed head-to-toe in PPE put her phone to dad’s ear and let us speak to him and tell him how much we loved him.
“During this very hard time, the ICU team were amazing as they helped us stay in contact with my dad and kept us updated with his condition.
“When we were told to head to the hospital as he wasn’t going to make it, the doctor sat us down with the nurse who looked after him to explain everything that was going on.
“I then asked for my dad’s house coat to be placed on him before we went into see him.
“When we got into his room they let us sit with him, speak to him and tell him we loved him until it was time for the machines to be switched off.
“After my dad passed peacefully they gave us a box which contained a lock of his hair, a small heart tracing, three knitted hearts, three family trees with his finger prints and a sympathy card from the ICU.
“When the woman came back she handed me the box and my dad’s belongings before giving me another red heart, but this time she had a teddy bear in her hand and said, ‘give this to the baby and tell her her grandad left it for her’.
“It won’t say anything like this in their job description which shows how heartfelt, kind and caring they were. They work hard every single day and are still the most amazing people.”
Toni Louise misses and thinks about her dad “every single day” and has begun a selfless career helping others that would make him proud.
She said: “I’ve recently changed my job and I’m now a carer in the community.
“I have also been volunteering for the homeless and trying to help people who need it.
“I’m working towards hopefully becoming a nurse myself one day after being inspired by the ICU team at the hospital.
“We couldn’t have raised the money without the remarkable kindness shown by others and would like to thank the following people and businesses – Kieran Sullivan of Whifflet Tattoos; Edward Harty and the Hartys Group; Boutique Baby Childrenswear; Try Your Luck and Zoe Love; Dean and the team at Natural Solutions; the amazing girls’ group and Jasmine Lyttle; Rangers Football Club; and Christina White of Pristine White.”