Linzi Donald was an Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner (ACP) on the ward at the Cumberland Infirmary back in 2020 when she began fundraising.
Together, Linzi and her partner Nicky ran the Manchester Marathon in October 2021 along with other events and have raised over £4,000 in total.
Linzi said: “We held a Marathon row in February 2020 where there were teams of 4 who collectively had to row the marathon distance of 26.2miles (42,195 metres) on a rowing machine. We had 12 teams in total including a team from the children’s ward.
“In March 2020 I held a 30th birthday party with a raffle and entertainment and then obviously the marathon in October 2021 which was delayed from April 2020.”
With the money raised Linzi has purchased the following for Carlisle’s children’s ward:
- Samsung tablets to be used as distraction;
- projector lights for babies cots;
- sensory fibre optic lights;
- ‘worry boxes’ for adolescents.
Being in hospital can be a scary experience for children and young people and Linzi’s kind donations will help to make their experience less daunting.
Linzi went on to say:
“It was really important for us to raise money for the ward, as an ACP and previous staff nurse on the ward we see 100’s of children every week that have a more positive experience when there are child friendly toys and distraction aids present.
“It was my aim to be able to provide the ward with many things that could make a patients stay in hospital more positive.
“We also see a number of children now being admitted with poor mental health and so wanted to provide some mind journals and worry boxes for the children and young adults to look through while on the ward. The journals provide positive mindset quotes and space for journaling if they do not feel able to open up and talk to staff members.
“I feel proud that we raised so much money and will hopefully have a positive impact on the children that access the ward, making the experience slightly easier for both the children and care-givers.”
Linzi has since left the Trust to work in a GP surgery but she explained it is a special place for her: “I started my nurse training here in 2009 and have been here full time since 2015! I miss the ward, the children and the staff tremendously.”
What a fantastic legacy for Linzi to leave behind her.
