Heart Nurses Hike For Brave Patients

A group of eight of our brilliant cardiology nurses who pulled on their hiking boots to conquer the highest mountain in Wales, have raised over £4,800 to support a special initiative for their patients.

Nurses Anita Patel, Samantha Haslem, Kelly Booker, Tiffnie Hawkins, Laura Bowley, Victoria Mokwunye, Mia Jones and Anna Ridehalgh, who all care for patients with heart conditions on ward 11 of our hospital teamed up outside of work to tackle Snowdon, to raise funds for ‘Beads of Courage’, which help our sick kids ‘record’, ‘tell’ and ‘own’ their own stories of courage.

The beads are intended to help patients navigate daily treatments, surgeries and achievements and provide hope for any challenges they may encounter along the way. With funding from our charity, the ‘Beads of Courage’ initiative was set up with thousands of different beads, threads, keep-sake bags and tracker cards, but ongoing funds are required to replenish stocks to make sure there are always beads to acknowledge patients’ journeys.

One of our past cardiology patient who had a very long string of beads was 15-month-old Reuben, who was an inpatient at our hospital since he was two weeks old, after he was born with a complex combination of heart defects.

Reuben received over nine surgeries, including one to fit a pacemaker to help regulate the rhythm of his heart, and for each one, as well as other procedures, treatments and medication infusions, Reuben has received a special bead, which his mum lovingly threaded onto his string.

Having seen just how much the initiative means to their patients and families as they use their beads as a visual representation of how far they’ve come in their treatment, the ward’s nurses made it their mission to make sure they could continue awarding beads to their patients for their milestones. Together they organized their hiking challenge to raise money for our charity, which supports the initiative. After advertising their challenge on the ward for support, they even inspired one patient, Louie Healings’ dad and grandma to join them on the climb to raise their own contribution.

Anita Patel, Ward 11 Sister at our hospital, said: “Being poorly with a heart condition is scary for our patients and it can sometimes be even scarier for their parents but we’ve seen the ‘Beads of Courage’ have such a positive impact so we really want to help keep it going.

“As a group we have very mixed fitness levels so climbing Snowdon was more of a challenge for some than for others but we waited at the top until the last nurse had made it, and the same at the bottom again. We’re really pleased with how much we raised to make sure all our patients can continue receiving their beads and telling their story.”

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Our brilliant Ward 11 nurses do an incredible job but by climbing Snowdon they’ve taken their care for our brave cardiology patients to another level.

“The funds they raised will go towards the continuation of the ‘Beads of Courage’ initiative on the ward, helping to support even more patients on their journeys and improve their hospital experiences.”