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Attn: Alison Cox
'CRY'
Unit 7, Epsom
Downs Metro Centre
Waterfield
Tadworth
Surrey KT20 5LR
Dear
Alison,
We just thought to write to let you know what happened to
us recently as it could help to show others how much the donation of ‘CRY’
ECG’s can mean to either doctor’s surgeries or to hospitals. You might like
to use the following as an article in the ‘CRY’ newsletter.
“Following the sudden death of our son Jeremy aged 14
from ARVC, with the marvellous support given from ‘CRY’ and many of our
friends, we managed to raise funds for two ECGs in his memory. One was placed in
our local doctor’s surgery and the other in the Accident and Emergency
Department of our local hospital with the particular aim of assisting in the
diagnosis and treatment of any other members of our local community with
suspected heart problems.
We never realised quite what an important practical part
that these individual ECG machines would play with our family.
Last week Jenny had a minor heart attack with all the
classic symptoms that we failed ourselves to realise at the time. It never even
occurred to us what it was as Jenny is still a relative youngster, and we
convinced ourselves that the fainting, pain and giddy episodes were merely a
virus affecting the inner ear or even indigestion! We
did eventually call the doctor out and although not initially concerned, he said
that we needed to get an ECG done to check things out. When we went to the
doctors surgery Jenny was put straight on one of ‘Jeremy’s ECG machines.
This showed clearly that there had been a change in the T.Waves from earlier
readings which was alarming in itself and they said what an important part the
equipment was playing in the initial diagnosis of heart problems. Jenny went
‘reluctantly’ (as we still couldn’t quite believe what was happening) down
to the Accident and Emergency Department at our local hospital, and was put on
another ECG machine which happened to be the other one that we had donated!!
The A&E staff were really kind and said how they all wanted to
use the ‘CRY’ machine in preference to any others available and how reliable
and efficient it was. In the short time before Jenny was admitted to the CCU
(coronary care unit) in the hospital, this ECG was used a further 3 times on
other patients and was apparently always in constant use!! It
was really uplifting and also emotional for us to see what an important part
these two ECGs were playing and to what amazing use they were being put.
Hopefully this article will help those other ‘CRY’ fundraisers who have
provided or are raising funds for cardiac equipment to show what a tremendous
positive benefit they can be to the community at large and really help to save
lives.
Jenny stayed in overnight and the following morning the
consultant confirmed that looking at the results of tests that Jenny had indeed
had a minor heart attack and following an angiogram this showed a minor blockage totally unrelated to ARVC that
luckily was not serious”.
With
love and very best wishes to you and the staff at CRY from,
Jenny
& Nigel Cole
Back to ECG machines in local communities
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