Tommy donates thousands to hospital for saving his life

Tommy donates thousands to hospital for saving his life

21 June 2017

A DOWNPATRICK man has donated almost £8,000 to a hospital he credits with saving his life.

Tommy McManus made the trip back to the specialist Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he underwent open heart surgery to a rare ventricular assist device (VAD).

In June 2015, Tommy was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast after he collapsed and had to be resuscitated at his family home in Downpatrick on the morning of his sister Lisa’s graduation. Two days later he suffered a cardiac arrest and was diagnosed with severe heart failure, the impact of which caused his liver and kidneys to fail.

Tommy was told his heart was in such bad shape there was nothing more that could be done locally and his only option was to be transferred to the specialist Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

The VAD inserted there acts as a mechanical pump and takes pressure off the heart. The Freeman is one of six centres that implant VADs in the UK and the only centre which currently performs the procedure on patients with adult congenital heart disease.

In Tommy’s case it is not a permanent solution, but it does offer hope by bridging the gap in-between heart failure and the time it takes to receive a transplant.

“I needed a new heart but my poor health meant that at the time I wasn’t eligible for a transplant,” said Tommy. “In an attempt to save my life they said they were going to insert a VAD.

“They saved my life. Without them, I’d be gone. There is nothing that I could fault there, the NHS is the best healthcare service in the world. Their dedication is second to none.”

Determined to say thank you, the subsequent fundraising event at Eclipse Cinemas in Downpatrick, where Tommy’s sister Roisin Taggart is manager, raised over £7,800 to be distributed among four of the hospital’s funds. 

The cinema event was also supported by the British Heart Foundation and the Northern Ireland Transplant Association whose officials talked to attendees about organ donation in an attempt to get people to join the register. Money was also raised at the red carpet evening to cover the cost of a defibrillator for the cinema.

VAD nurse practitioner in Newcastle, Nicola Robinson Smith, explained that some of the money donated would be used to produce an educational DVD.

“There are currently only around five people living in Northern Ireland with a VAD fitted,” she said. “This often means patients can find that many healthcare professionals don’t have much experience with the device. At the moment we are looking to put donations towards the creation of a DVD that can be given out by patients who have the device which will help to create awareness and advise GPs, district nurses and other healthcare professionals about the VAD.

“It would be used to help inform them about the device and show them how to do things such as changing dressings. Patients in this position are already unwell and vulnerable, so anything that can be done to take some of the strain off the patient and their family is a good thing.” 

Thanking everyone who attended their cinema fundraiser, Roisin said the family’s donation to the Freeman Hospital was “the least we could do,”.

“It was a real shock to the whole family that Tommy took ill so suddenly and the next thing we knew we were all uprooted and staying in Newcastle indefinitely,” she said. “Over the 10 weeks he spent at the Freeman, the level of care that was given to Tommy was incredible and the kindness and dedication shown to all of us as a family was overwhelming and something we can never express enough gratitude for. There’s not enough money in the world to repay everyone for looking after Tommy so well.”

Tommy, now 41, also described the Eclipse fundraiser as a “fantastic event”.

“We received such amazing support not only from friends and family but also from local businesses and councillors,” he said. “It was a brilliant evening and an excellent opportunity to raise both funds and awareness.

“I’m really pleased with how the fundraiser went. I just hope that it helps more people to have a chance like I’ve had. The only thing that you want is a chance; time is the only thing you can’t buy.”