St Mary's patient reunited with hospital staff at Walk for Wards
St Mary's patient reunited with hospital staff at Walk for Wards
10 July 2017
Matt Gunnee, 22, met the team from the adult intensive care unit at St Mary’s Hospital after completing the five-mile sponsored walk.
More than 130 people took part in the event on Sunday 9 July, raising thousands of pounds to support the charity’s work.
Matt, a medical student at Imperial College London, underwent an emergency craniotomy at St Mary’s in November after he and three of his friends were knocked down as they crossed the road.
Doctors put Matt into a coma after the operation and he wasn’t ‘woken up’ until early January.
Six months later, Matt is out of hospital and on the mend. He is still undergoing neurorehabilitation but was fit enough to take part in the walk, raising £332 for the ICU.
At the finish line he was reunited for the first time with some of the staff who cared for him following his operation.
Matt said: “When you’re in a coma, the big thing that’s important is that your loved ones are looked after.
“No doubt my parents had the worst Christmas they have had for 22 years, but I cannot speak highly enough of the ICU team who made sure my family were OK.”
Matt has been volunteering with Imperial Health Charity as part of his neurorehabilitation programme and plans to restart the fourth year of his studies in September 2018.
He said he was inspired to take part in Walk for Wards to make sure others get the same second chance at life.
He added: “My story ended really well and I am slowly getting back to normal but it could have been much worse. I don’t want other people’s stories to have a sad ending.”
The event was the charity’s biggest ever sponsored walk, bringing together NHS staff, grateful patients and members of the local community to support the Trust’s five hospitals – Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea, St Mary’s and the Western Eye.
Among the walkers were nurses raising money for the Victor Bonney gynaecology ward at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, the chemotherapy day unit at Hammersmith and the children’s intensive care unit at St Mary’s.
One nurse, Savi Ramkissoon from the ICU team, took part in the walk only four hours after finishing a long night-shift on the ward.
Laura Kell, Head of Fundraising at Imperial Health Charity, said: “We have been blown away by the fantastic efforts of all our fundraisers. Every step they took at Walk for Wards and every penny they raised will help us help our hospitals do more. We are so grateful to everyone who took part or volunteered to help out on the day.”
If you’ve been inspired by Walk for Wards, you can find out more about fundraising for Imperial Health Charity at www.imperialcharity.org.uk/fundraising-events
