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Early last year after going to my GP with some worrying symptoms at the age of 22, I was referred for multiple scans such as; ultrasound, CT and MRI scans and an MIBG test and scan. As a result of these I was told I was living with a Paraganglioma which had grown rapidly and consumed my right adrenal gland in the process.

Many months later, after undergoing 9 hours of major surgery in December to remove the secretory tumour, my lungs failed while I was recovering in ICU. After several hours of ventilation and proning from the Lancaster ICU doctors and nurses, there still wasn't enough oxygen to sustain my body.

The Manchester Wythenshawe ECMO team rushed to Lancaster and placed me on a portable ECMO (Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine. This allowed me to be safely moved via ambulance to the Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit at Wythenshawe where they transferred me to a larger and more complex ECMO machine and was successfully stabilised.

ECMO machines provide prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to people whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion to sustain life. There are currently only 6 hospitals across the UK that have the capability of providing ECMO, luckily for me, Wythenshawe was only 1 hour away...other people might not be so lucky.

I was kept on the ECMO machine for 6 days under heavy sedation alongside the use of a ventilator in an attempt to restore my lungs and remove any secretions. After exceeding all expectations and fighting the sedation, I was then decannulated and extubated before being repatriated two days later back to Royal Lancaster Infirmary ICU.

Without the amazing expertise and support of everyone involved in my care, I would not be here today. Me and my family cannot thank them enough and we aim to support them throughout 2021 through multiple fundraisers.

All money raised will go towards purchasing much needed equipment and pioneering research, helping other patients and families through difficult times.

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