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Privacy NoticeThe NHS marks its 75th birthday this week. The National Health Service was a game-changer for British families when it was launched on 5 July 1948, by Labour minister of health Aneurin Bevan. The world’s first universal health system was available to everyone in the UK – and free at the point of delivery. Before that, all medical services had to be paid for directly. Now, few of us could imagine life without the NHS as it cares for all from cradle to grave. Over the past eight decades it has been the home of many medical breakthroughs, from the UK’s first heart transplant and Europe’s first successful liver transplant, both in 1968, to the original CT scan in 1971, the world’s first “test-tube baby” in 1978 and the introduction of the meningitis C vaccine in 1999. It plays a crucial role in our lives, most recently during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The NHS is celebrating its 75th birthday this week
(Image: GETTY)
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While we should raise a glass to the NHS on its milestone anniversary, many people are thankful every day for the gifts this world-beating service has given us. These readers share their heartwarming NHS success stories with OK! … ‘I feared my baby twin was going to die’ Holly Thompson, 29, from Colne, Lancashire, had a traumatic pregnancy on being told one of her twins might not survive. But the girls, now eight months old, are thriving. In April, Holly was thrilled to discover that she and partner Ben were expecting identical twins, siblings for their five-year-old daughter Ellisia. There had been a few concerns and at 16 weeks Holly was referred to the foetal medicine team at Burnley General Hospital because of possible twin-to-twin transfusion [where blood flows unequally from the placenta]. But the consultant explained everything so clearly that they weren’t too worried. A few weeks later Holly had another scan – and had a gut feeling something was wrong as consultants concentrated on one area. They scanned for nearly an hour before taking her into a side room and telling her that twin one might not survive. “I fell apart. I thought this isn’t happening,” says Holly. Her baby had a hole in the heart and ventriculomegaly – enlarged ventricles of the brain – which can indicate genetic conditions. Holly needed to go to Liverpool Women’s Hospital the next day for a consultation with a professor from London. “I felt my world collapsing, the only thing that got me through was Ellisia,” Holly says. “Ben and I just couldn’t speak with shock.”
When Holly was pregnant with twins, she was told that one of her babies may not survive
(Image: Supplied)
At Liverpool, an echogenic bowel, which can suggest Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis, was detected, and more tests followed. “It sounds awful, but I planned songs for her funeral, that’s how much I didn’t think she would survive,” Holly remembers. “But every result came back negative, and, though there were still investigations, my friend said, ‘You need to hold on to hope’ – and that’s why we decided to call her Hope.” At 31 weeks, Holly was told she needed to go to hospital for delivery the next morning because blood flow to Hope from the placenta was persistently absent. “Then, before my C-section, I had to have magnesium sulphate, which made me poorly, and Hope’s heartbeat wasn’t dealing with it. So all of a sudden doctors ran in the room and said, ‘We need to get to theatre now’. I felt so frightened. I didn’t think she was going to be born alive.” But Hope’s arrival was heralded by a huge scream. “Two minutes later, her sister Harper arrived and I still thank the doctors that I got a cuddle with them before they were taken to NICU [neonatal intensive care unit].
Holly had a C-section at 31 weeks
(Image: Supplied)
“The NHS team went above and beyond the call of duty. I can’t thank them enough,” says Holly. “The midwife who delivered my first daughter now works in foetal medicine, so she scrubbed up and came into theatre. That was such a comfort.” At birth, Hope weighed just 2lb 3oz and Harper 3lb 3oz, and they spent seven weeks in the unit. “The nurses reassured us but, if everything wasn’t ok, they didn’t say it was ok. If Hope had a bad day, they’d say she’s poorly and I could stay the night,” says Holly. “They looked after me, making sure I ate properly. I was there from 7am to 11pm every day, only going home to pick my daughter up from school, and shower. One day I was crying, so they brought me chocolate.” One thing that really stood out was how much care and effort nursing staff made with Ellisia. They sat on the floor with her and gave her dolls bedding and oxygen tubes like her twin sisters had in their incubators. “Nothing was too much trouble,” says Holly. “One day, I’d like to work on that ward, to give something back.” Then, on a bittersweet day Harper went home – leaving Hope still in hospital.
Holly says that the NHS “went above and beyond” for herself, partner Ben, daughter Ellisia and twins Harper and Hope
(Image: Supplied)
Holly says, “One of the nurses saw how much I was struggling at taking one without the other and wanted to make it special. So she crocheted hearts and in Hope’s incubator, there was a heart with Harper on it, while Harper slept with the other at home. They were together that way.” But two weeks later, Hope also went home. “She’s still only 11lb now, but from a 2lb baby told she’s probably not going to survive, she’s a miracle. We’ve been back in hospital eight times with bronchiolitis, because their lungs are premature, but they’re here and that’s all that matters. Every night I thank my lucky stars.” ‘I felt helpless when he needed a transplant’ The NHS brought Rebecca Brazendale and Andrew Sloan together as colleagues in a busy hospital. But when Rebecca learnt that Andrew needed a new kidney, she made him an incredible offer. Many of us have close bonds with our colleagues, but the one that links Rebecca Brazendale and Andrew Sloan is exceptional. For when the deputy directorate manager heard that 47-year-old consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon Andrew needed a new kidney, she didn’t hesitate. “When Andrew told me he had end-stage renal failure and required a transplant or would need dialysis for the rest of his life I felt helpless,” she says. And with no suitable match to be found among his family and friends, Rebecca, 36, offered to donate one of hers. “There was no doubt from day one of offering. I never thought ‘I’m not doing this’ or ‘Should I do this?’ I wanted to do it.” For Andrew the experience has been life-changing. “It’s a gift you can’t put into words. It’s mind-blowing,” he says.
Rebecca donated her kidney to her colleague Andrew
(Image: Dave Nelson)
“Dialysis keeps you alive, which is great. But it’s very time-consuming. It’s very limited in terms of life. To be able to live a normal life for the next however many years is amazing.” On being diagnosed with autoimmune condition Immunoglobulin A (IgA) in 2002, Andrew was told that his kidney function could decline. By 2019, he was living with end-stage renal failure. He says, “Just as I was starting dialysis again, Rebecca had a chat with me and said, ‘Look, I really want to see if I can donate’. She even told me she had asked her family.” He agreed and in March 2021, after rigorous testing that showed Rebecca’s tissue was a match, the transplant took place at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Before their operations, but after Rebecca had been revealed as a match, Andrew told her repeatedly that she did not have to go through with it. As it was during a lockdown, the friends did not see each other until the independent assessor stage. “I went through all the tests and all the work-up, including ECG blood pressure monitoring for 24 hours, ECHO, kidney-function scans,” Rebecca says. On the day of the surgery, 17 March 2021, Rebecca went into theatre while Andrew waited in the ward. Rebecca reveals, “It was very emotional. It’s still emotional now. I get upset because it was an amazing moment.”
Rebecca says that being a donor still makes her emotional to this day
(Image: Supplied)
Andrew adds, “It was a really odd feeling watching Rebecca go off, because she was having surgery for no real benefit to herself at all. Hoping everything’s going well, feeling anxious for her, I was more worried about Rebecca than myself, because the worstcase scenario for me was I stayed on dialysis.” Their operations went well and both were both able to go home after a few days. Rebecca says her life hasn’t changed since donating her kidney and encourages other people to consider it. “Obviously there could be some complications but they test you vigorously,” she says. Andrew admits he doesn’t think of himself as a transplant patient. “I’ve been a doctor for nearly 25 years. I come across transplant patients in my own work. It blows my mind to think I have Rebecca’s kidney.” They and their families have forged close bonds, although Rebecca jokes she never expected to donate a kidney to a Manchester United supporter. “I thought it might have turned him – but it didn’t,” the Liverpool fan laughs. ‘We share our big day with the NHS’ Devoted 75-year-old twins Rita Doran and Ronnie Evans share many things, including a very special place in health service history. With the National Health Service less than an hour old, the brother and sister became the first twins to be born into a new world of free healthcare. “We always take the opportunity to tell people when we were born,” says Rita, who lives a few hundred yards away from her brother in Fleetwood on the Lancashire coast. “If I’m at a hospital appointment and they ask my date of birth I say, ‘Do you know what’s special about that date?’ People are always interested.”
Twins Ronnie and Rita were born when the NHS was less than an hour old
(Image: Dave Nelson)
Ronnie arrived in the world at 12.45am on 5 July 1948, with Rita following at 1.25am. Their older brother, Keith, was two. “Our mum, Eileen, didn’t know she was having twins until she was six months gone. In those days there was no such thing as scans. The prospect of a multiple birth would also have been a financial worry,” Rita adds. Before the formation of the NHS, a week’s stay in hospital could cost up to £10 per week. The average working man’s wage at the time was about £7 a week, making hospitals an unaffordable luxury for many. “Now, you don’t think twice about going to the doctor, but then it could be an expensive thing for ordinary people.” The twins’ birth was only the start of their lifelong relationship with the NHS. At 18 months old Ronnie contracted polio. Left partially paralysed, the now retired building trade worker and haulage driver underwent years of treatment and physiotherapy to combat the effects of the virus. He says, “Without the NHS we could never have afforded that and I suppose I would have been left just as I was. I thank my lucky stars.” It’s clear that, like many twins, the siblings share a close bond.
Before the NHS, a week’s stay in hospital could cost up to £10 per week
(Image: Dave Nelson)
Ronnie and Rita’s older brother Keith was two years old when they were born
(Image: Dave Nelson)
“Some years ago Ron was in a serious road accident and on my way to see him my leg started to hurt very badly. It was so painful and I couldn’t understand why until I got to the hospital and there was Ron with a shattered leg,” says Rita. As the years have passed the brother and sister have continued to rely on – and be grateful for – the health service, with Ronnie having suffered from heart issues and Rita developing fibromyalgia. Between them, the two have six children and 14 grandchildren, while Rita also has four great-grandchildren – all delivered through the NHS. The twins will be celebrating their own 75th milestone surrounded by family and perhaps with a barbecue. But Rita insists firmly, “We’re staunch advocates of the NHS – and that’s because we owe it everything.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnReal LifeHealth
