Father’s gift to say thank you for son Adrian’s care
The Bath Chronicle is supporting the Forever Friends Special Appeals to celebrate the RUH charity’s 20th anniversary, focusing on some of the areas of the hospital which benefit from its work. Samantha Walker looks at the work of the critical care unit
The father of a man who had an incurable bone marrow virus has donated £10,000 to the RUH to say thank you for his son’s care. Rik Hunter, from Wroughton near Swindon, said staff did everything they could to save his son Adrian, and he hopes his donation will further support the unit’s work. It comes as the RUH’S charity, The Forever Friends Appeal, seeks to raise £150,000 towards the refurbishment of the critical care unit, in order for it to continue to meet the needs of modern day care and further improve the environment for patients, staff and visitors. Adrian, who was 39-years-old, spent 11 weeks in the unit last year, having been found unconscious at his flat in Bath. He had type 1 diabetes and, while in hospital, the doctors discovered he had a rare bone marrow virus that proved, in conjunction with other complications, to be incurable. Mr Hunter, a retired Royal Air Force officer, presented the unit with a cheque on what would have been Adrian’s 40th birthday. He said: “Adrian was given unbelievable care and attention from a dedicated nursing team looking after him 24 hours a day. The doctors went to enormous lengths to try to find out was wrong with him. Everyone put in so much time and effort to try to save him and, as far as I could tell, no stone was left unturned. “What the staff do in intensive and critical care is absolutely brilliant. “I want to make this donation in memory of Adrian through the hospital’s charity, the Forever Friends Appeal, which will purchase specialist equipment for the unit to help support the amazing work they do.” The critical care team delivers lifesaving treatment to the most unwell and most vulnerable two per cent of RUH patients. The critical care unit (an umbrella term for the intensive care and high dependency units) has 13 beds and treats patients with life threatening conditions. Thea Gorman, a surgical physiotherapist who helped care for Adrian said: “This is an extremely generous donation that will be used for the benefit of all the patients we care for. “Adrian was such an incredibly brave young man, who was an absolute pleasure to care for. He managed to smile and enjoy his day in ITU despite his illness. “His father too, is a considerate, kind gentleman who gave Adrian such strength from his support. “We are deeply grateful for this gift in Adrian’s memory.” For more or to donate www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk