Jersey Critical Care Survivors - Cycle 150 km over the 30 days of June. The 5k-a-day challenge June 2020.

In November 2017, after a terrible day at work, full of flu & feeling like death my daughter decided to drive me to the out of hours surgery at the hospital. She managed to get half way to town before I passed out & an ambulance met us & took over from there. I was in resuss for four hours, in ICU for seven days and another week on a ward with a collapsed lung, Pneumonia, & sepsis.

When I was preparing to leave hospital in early December, I was already planning when I'd go for my first run & how I could salvage Christmas. I had no idea what was about to happen to me.

My physical recovery was slow & it was some time before I felt comfortable about going outside. I really thought I was coping, but as I became physically more able, mentally I was deteriorating. The hallucinations that I'd experienced whilst in ICU were constantly in my dreams & past issues, long buried came flooding back. I cried constantly & found it very difficult to talk to anyone without bursting into tears. One day, I had a simple eye test in St Helier, but the short walk down King Street almost floored me. I found myself clinging to benches & literally skimming the shop fronts with my back as I tried to do this odd crab like walk back to my car. I was so frightened but I had no idea what I was frightened of.

In February, I received an appointment to attend an ICU follow up. Thinking it was a medical of sorts, I was greeted by two of the nurses who'd cared for me in ICU. They didn't want to examine me, they simply wanted to know 'how I was'. The most simple question that just meant the world to me. I could actually talk to someone who'd been there, with me. Who'd witnessed my ranting about rabid reindeers & musical machinery & they just wanted to see how I was. I believe that I cried for almost that first full hour, but they understood because, this is normal, I was normal & everything that I was feeling was the result of a traumatic life event.

I was fortunate enough to be able to see a psychologist alongside my appointments with ICU & I was diagnosed with PTSD. Those amazing people who'd nursed me back to life continued to support me, offering website addresses & leaflets not just for me but for my family who were also coping with the huge change in our lives. We chatted through my perception of the things that I'd experienced during my stay in ICU & again they helped me to normalise those things that I felt were haunting me.

Without those ICU follow up appointments, which the health service are struggling to fund, I really don't know where I'd be. For me, the suddenness of the events that lead to me fighting for my life will forever nudge at my conscious thought. It's a reminder of the battle fought but that & my continuing fear & anxiety of everything new will not define me. I'm strong through those that supported me & for that I'll be eternally grateful.

Despite the amazing care & support of the nurses who work hard, daily, to keep you breathing, so much more is needed when you head back out there into what was your 'normal life'.

So, as I've been really nervous about road riding since being knocked off my bike a few years ago, I've decided that this is the perfect challenge. My goal is to ride 150km in the 30 days of June, riding around 5km per day to raise funds & awareness for this new charity that's been set up to offer support to the survivors of critical care, amongst other things! Please feel free to join me in riding for JCCS, whenever & where ever you are & post your pictures tagging the charities Facebook page -

If you would like to donate, please just dig deep into your pockets & give something to help with the funding of this amazing charity started by one of the ICU nurses! The experience of being in intensive care is something that cannot be forgotten by so many.

Thank you