Case Studies
Ruth Palmer
Ruth Palmer is another CF patient who was excited to see the appeal for the new unit. She too is so inspirational in the way she deals with her condition. It doesn't stop her running around after her 19-month-old son Nathan, or dancing three times a week at the Hype Academy based at Sheffield's Leadmill.
Up until last November, when she was made redundant, she also held down a full-time job in accounts, an area she had always worked in since leaving Hinde House School.
“All this is fitted around the daily medications and physiotherapy of several hours that make up life with CF. But she is determined not to let it stand in her way of living as full a life as possible.
“If I stopped I wouldn't want to get back up and start again,” she said. “The less you do the less you want to do, so I push myself to keep going. There's no point just sitting back and doing nothing because you just end up miserable.
“I use my dancing, tap and jazz, contemporary and street hip hop as my physio so it helps my condition at the same time as being something I really enjoy. It means I've taken control of it myself.”
The 26-year-old from Brinsworth said falling pregnant with Nathan was a cause for celebration; women with CF often have trouble conceiving, but also it was a time of great worry for her and partner Craig Scothern in case their child inherited the disease too.
She said tests carried out after he was born revealed Nathan is not even a carrier of the disease - a relief for the whole family.
It's been nearly a year since she spent time in hospital, but sometimes she needs to be admitted just to allow her to “completely relax”. “Just coming in and being looked after is what I need,” she said.
Ruth said the new unit, with its colourful decor and spacious rooms would transform these stays into something so much more comfortable.
She said: “It will be more homely than medical so people will be able to have a relax and a rest, at the same time as getting the care they need.
“It's really hard for other people to understand what it's like to live with CF - how exhausting and restricting it can be - particularly when a lot of the time I might not look like I'm even ill.
“I'd just ask people to take a minute to have a second thought about what it means for the patients, and get on board to help make the dream of this unit come true.”