Firstly I must tell you about Chris and Corrine McLaughlin. And ask that you look at FLIGHT4LIVES. This website will develop as the months lead up to December 2011 when they plan to fly their little Cessna plane from CapeToCape - Cape Cod to Cape Horn.
Chris and Corrine with their Cessna
A dynamic couple, Chris received a liver transplant at King's in April 2010; he was previously a BA Captain flying 747s. Corrine is a BA Purser.
They weren't prepared for what happened to Chris in March and April 2010 as he waivered in and out of conciousness, especially finding out that the severity of his liver disease had also shot his kidneys.
Whilst Chris battled in Liver Intensive Care, Corrine was having to drive from their Surrey/Sussex border home to King's every day. The distance isn't one of the longest that families supporting a liver diseased patient has to travel, but as anyone knows who has had to travel to Denmark Hill SE London from outside the M25, the traffic is hideous and it is a very time consuming journey full of traffic jams and traffic lights. Incredibly stressful.
Luckily, a LISTEN Lodge room became available. In Corrine's own words "The Lodge saved my sanity." She added, "Someone told me I could stay at the Halfway House (the name of past accommodation used by the King's liver unit) and I was a little worried about what I would be walking into, but was also so grateful to be able to stay near to Chris".
And what a suprise she got when she walked into the beautifully decorated LISTEN Lodge (Lower)! She loved the accommodation so much and was so thankful to use such fantastic facilities - and especially as the Lodges are only 2 minutes walk from King's (when you are receiving calls at 6am and odd o'clock, that is sooo important) - that when Chris said he wanted to give something back to King's after his liver transplant, that Corrine insisted that he raise money for LISTEN.
So starts a story...
LISTEN will provide any support they possibly can to Chris and Corrine. And I hope to keep you informed off their progress...
Chris hopes to raise around £50,000 flying over 16,000 nautical miles in a plane that needs refueling every 4 hours and travelling over rainforests, desert etc... Some of the money he raises will also go to liver research and the Nigel Heaton Fund - but their wishes are that LISTEN recieves the highest percentage. WOW! And thank you. And boy, how exciting...
After this I went up to Liver Outpatients to remind them that I wanted them to put together a wish list of what LISTEN could raise funds for, and also did the same on Todd Ward (main liver unit ward. I popped into the the Relatives Room on Todd and was delighted to find that there were 3 plaques in the room including the LISTEN plaque.
Then home. xx
This is very exciting, and it is wonderful to hear about everyday heroes in difficult times. I will look forward to following Chris and Corrine, hopefully through your blog, Donna!
ReplyDeleteWarm regards,
Daniel Grimes