A former mountaineer is now on a mission to raise money for the hospital that saved her, by climbing the stairs. Louise Tomlinson, a 49 year old from Birmingham, suffered severe muscle wastage after undergoing brain surgery in March this year; an operation which took place via her groin.
The mum of two suffered severe headaches for around three weeks before an aneurysm ruptured, causing bleeding in her brain.
She explained: “I passed out on the way to have a brain scan and later woke work at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham after having undergone brain surgery to insert small metal coils into the aneurysm. These are inserted via the arteries running from the groin to the brain.
“I had been suffering headaches for a while but I put it down to eye strain. I am completely shocked at what happened but am extremely grateful that I was in the right place at the right time.”
Now Louise, who this time last year was preparing to climb Ben Nevis, is raising money to purchase more comfortable chairs for the Critical Care Unit at the QE by climbing as many stairs as she can in 30 days.
She said: “I spent nearly 20 days at the QE, during which day to day tasks like walking to the bathroom became a huge challenge. My muscles just seemed to disintegrate and I’ve have to work hard to rebuild them. Walking to the bathroom at home encompasses climbing the stairs, something I had not done for almost three weeks.
“For 30 days I will put 10p into a box every time I manage to walk up and down the stairs. As I get fitter I will challenge myself more, taking the stairs at hospital visits instead of the lift.
“My fantastic family endured hours of sitting on uncomfortable chairs whilst I was recovering. I want to buy more comfortable chairs so that someone else’s family can have a little more comfort as they play the same awful waiting game that my family had to endure.”
So far, since 14th April, Louise has climbed the stairs in her house over 250 times and has raised over £1700 in sponsorship.
She said: “I have gained so much more confidence in walking in general and I’m much happier now. I can walk alone to the shops and can manage around 40 minutes on my feet.
“I’m grateful to everyone at the QE for keeping me alive and I’m glad I can do something to help make a change to patients and their families, and one that the NHS simply isn’t able to pay for.”
To sponsor Louise please visit https://www.justgiving.com/Louise-Tomlinson5.
To make a donation to QEHB Charity please visit qehb.org or call 0121 371 4852.
