Fundraising thanks for lifesaving transplant
August 14, 2018
Featured in the Express & Star
Friday, July 27
L-R: Deputy Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Carol Goult, Michael Willis, and Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Joy Edis.
A BRAVE Black Country great-grandfather who underwent a life-saving double lung transplant has raised thousands of pounds for the two hospitals where he was treated.
Michael Willis and his family hosted a formal fundraising dinner event on Saturday June 23 in Birmingham to celebrate his miracle survival from sarcoidosis, a rare condition that nearly turned his lungs into ‘stone’.
The proceeds will be split between Your Trust Charity, run by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals and the Royal Papworth Hospital, in Cambridge. Michael, aged 60, said: “It was a fantastic night and we raised nearly £5,000.
“Nearly 250 people came to the event and the support was overwhelming. I couldn’t thank my family, friends, and the fundraising teams from both hospitals enough, who had made the event such a success.
“I am here today all because of the dedicated clinicians, my family, friends, and especially the organ donor. And as a family, we feel that we now have the responsibility to continue to raise awareness of how organ donation can make such a difference, especially to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME).
“We know that on average, patients from BAME communities in England will wait a year longer for a kidney transplant than a white patient, due to the lack of suitable organs. We hope that by having our community together at the event, we are able to spread the word about the impact of organ donation on individuals and their family and encourage more people to become organ donors.”
Consultant respiratory physician Dr Arvind Rajasekaran from City Hospital, who cared for Michael, said: “It was my honour to be at the event that Michael and his wife, Patricia, organised.
“When Michael first came to us, he was very ill, he couldn’t walk very far and he relied on breathing machines most of the time. At that point, I decided that the only way that could save Michael was for him to have a double lung transplant. He was then referred to the Royal Papworth Hospital, where the team was able to find him a match. It’s such a privilege to see Michael walk about freely and enjoy his life.
“What he and his family are doing now, which is raising awareness of organ donation, is absolutely fantastic. They are making a real difference to the community and I hope more people will become donors after learning about Michael’s story.”
Amanda Winwood, Fundraising Manager at Your Trust Charity, said: “We are grateful to Michael and his family for organising the fundraising event to support our charity. All the proceeds will be divided between the two trusts’ charities and the money we receive will go towards the Respiratory team.
“We are also grateful to many organisations and community leaders who came along to show their support. We met with the Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Joy Edis and her deputy, Councillor Carol Goult at the event and they both expressed a keen interest in working with us in the future to promote organ donation.”
If you would like to sign up to become an organ donor, please visit https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk//register-to-donate/
To support Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust’s Your Trust Charity, please visit: https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/charity/ways-to-donate/