Latest news with #JohnRadcliffeHospital
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Swimmers' take on Channel relay for Oxford children's unit
A team of six swimmers, including doctors and charity staff, are gearing up for an English Channel swim relay to raise money for a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).The Oxford Orcas hope to raise £30,000 for specialist equipment for the John Radcliffe Hospital unit, which cares for 1,000 critically ill children each swimmers have been training through the winter in local lakes and plan to complete the challenge next member Sarah Vaccari, of Oxford Hospitals Charity, is supporting the cause after the ward helped her daughter who was born with a congenital heart condition. The team described the upcoming 21-mile (34 km) Channel swim as "notoriously tough, with strong tides".They will be swimming in the dark, not using wetsuits and "dodging jellyfish".Consultant Dr Michael Carter has done the challenge before and described it as "one of the most amazing experiences of my life".He said, the first time, he had swum close to killer whales, which inspired their team logo design. Mrs Vaccari, who is taking part in the challenge for the first time, said she would "always remember" the care she had received."My daughter is now a strapping 18-year-old, but she was diagnosed as a baby with congenital heart condition and needed open heart surgery," she said."When you have a major operation like that... your child will spend time in paediatric intensive care, so I remember that, it's never left me."She said, through her job, she had met many families who had been through the unit."You get to know them well when you work in a charity like ours, so that's my motivation and I know it's the motivation for the rest of the team as well."Dr Carter said the raised funds would buy better equipment and compassionate leadership training for nurses on the unit who "are really exposed to the trauma of providing difficult care to really in difficult circumstances".The group has so far raised more than two-thirds of its target. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
West Hanney man's brain tumour grew 'for more than a decade'
"I woke up eventually to what looked like two green aliens."When Charlie Broadhurst went to bed early with a mild sickness bug and a tingling in his lip in January 2022 he was actually woken by paramedics in their green married father-of-two from West Hanney had experienced a seizure and was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in was referred to an epilepsy clinic, but unbeknown to everyone he had a brain tumour, and doctors had already missed it. Previously Charlie had been experiencing headaches, but following an MRI scan in 2011 he was told it was a sinus infection, though he was advised to visit his optician."I kind of left it and when I did have a headache made sure I was wearing my glasses a little bit more," he tells the the seizure in 2022 he was booked in for another MRI."They were quite confident there was nothing to worry about, and then I got the phone call about six weeks later that there was something to worry about," he was diagnosed with a grade II astrocytoma, a brain tumour that had been visible on a CT scan in 2011, and had grown undetected for more than a decade."The hospital were very quick and honest," Charlie explains."It was very small and they admitted straight away that they missed it."But he said the doctors had since "been brilliant the whole way through". Charlie has undergone brain surgery twice, and a good amount of the tumour has been successfully also had six weeks of daily radiotherapy and six months of chemotherapy, which he describes as "really hard going."He now has scans every six months to monitor the tumour. Charlie's wife Siobhan says finding out about it was "terrifying".But she says: "We very much got on with it... I think it has taken its toll on our children because for two years through the treatment life's a bit chaotic."Siobhan has been taking part in fundraising ever since "because we need more awareness, more research, and ultimately more hope".She is about to take part in the 88 Squats a Day in July challenge for Brain Tumour Jones, head of community and digital fundraising at the charity, said: "Stories like Charlie's highlight the urgent need for more research into brain tumours, which remain the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40 in the UK." "At the moment it's all positive stuff, the tumour's stable, but the type of tumour it is, at some point it won't be great news," Charlie says."But what we're doing is making the most of everything and focussing on those six-month scans, and doing anything the doctors tell me to do, and keeping my two boys happy, and doing everything we can with them." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Runners carry washing machines in memory of SSNAP fundraiser
A charity run has taken place in memory of a fundraiser who repeatedly ran the Oxford half marathon with a washing machine on his Realey, who was a leader at SSNAP (Supporting Sick Newborn and their Parents), died in his sleep in his honour, 26 volunteers took part in a charity challenge in Wantage, taking it in turns to run one mile (1.6km) with the kitchen appliance strapped to said: "Every step, every ache, every mile is a tribute to Martin's spirit and a step towards helping newborns and their families get the care they need." The challenge took place at the charity's Summer Garden Party at Grove Rugby supports sick and premature babies and their families in the Newborn Care Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Following Mr Realey's death, Kerri Knibbs, SSNAP's chair of the board of trustees, described him as a "friend, father, sportsman, inspirational fundraiser and a proud ex-paratrooper".Organisers of the Oxford half marathon said his "unwavering dedication to SSNAP and the families it supports was nothing short of inspirational", while the Oxford Hospitals Charity called him a "passionate and charismatic charity leader". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Healthy' man, 32, had common pain and was dead months later
A heartbroken widow has spoken out about losing her 32-year-old husband to heart failure and warns that other young people could be at risk of sudden, untimely deaths. Edward Burr died unexpectedly in October 2024 after suffering with an underlying heart condition that he was completely unaware of. The first sign something was wrong was noticed just six months before his death - the day after his wedding day. Burr simply felt 'under the weather', but put this down to a possible bug he may have caught while being in close proximity to 60 people. His wife Laura, 31, from Banbury, Oxfordshire said: 'That escalated into going into our local hospital and him being diagnosed with pneumonia.' There, it was also found that Burr's heart was behaving 'abnormally' and he was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford but on the ambulance journey there he developed 'active heart failure'. Burr's condition further 'deteriorated' in the middle of July and on July 19 he underwent open heart surgery at the Harefield Hospital in London, where he had a machine fitted to help his heart continue operating. Doctors planned for him to receive a heart transplant, but the wait was too long and he passed away from multiple organ failure in October last year. Burr's wife said: 'The pneumonia tipped his body over and he couldn't deal with the heart problem we didn't know he had. 'I was a bride and a wife at 30, I'm now a widow at 31 - those words should never come out of somebody's mouth.' Studies estimate that around 400,000 people in the UK with heart failure are undiagnosed and roughly 10 per cent of all patients are under 50. Heart failure occurs when the organ is unable to pump blood around the body properly, likely due to it becoming weak or stiff. This leads to reduced oxygen and nutrients reaching the organs and tissues. The condition is typically caused by lifestyle-related problems that cause strain on the heart, such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (when cholesterol clogs the arteries). Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and ankles, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, nausea, and pain in the arms, jaw, or back. Gabby Evans, 32, a registered nurse from Burnley, Lancashire, also lost her partner to an undiagnosed heart condition. Tom Brakewell died from hidden cardiovascular disease in January 2025, aged 34, just two weeks after suffering sudden chest pains. Evans said: 'He was admitted to hospital for a week on January 18 because they thought he'd had a heart attack, but it was the high blood pressure causing similar symptoms. 'They got his blood pressure down and he was discharged - he was fine and he said he felt okay.' Three days later, she woke up in the morning and found Brakewell had 'stopped breathing'. Evans said: 'I turned on the light and just knew instantly something wasn't right, I started doing chest compressions before the paramedics came. 'They worked on him for about 45 minutes before they made the decision they couldn't carry on and Tom wasn't with us. 'I was with him when they pronounced him.' He died from a cardiac arrest on January 28 2025 - with the cause later determined to be high hypertension and coronary heart disease. Evans added: 'His heart was damaged and he'd had it for a long period.' Both women are now calling for mandatory health screenings for younger adults to spot underlying heart conditions sooner. Evans said: 'If he had full tests earlier it may have been picked up sooner.' On May 2, Burr and Evans launched a petition calling for mandatory tests for those aged between 25 and 35. Burr said: 'If Edward and Tom had been tested earlier or they had any kind of health MOT, it would have been picked up earlier and we may have had more time with them. The nurse added: 'If we were to have these mandatory health checks, no one would have to go through what we've gone through. 'Grief and losing someone is part of life, but not at this age.' A Department Of Health A nd Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with the families of Edward and Tom. 'The NHS's life-saving health checks are targeted towards those at higher risk, preventing around 500 heart attacks and strokes every year and stopping people developing a range of diseases. 'To increase availability and uptake of the checks, we are developing a new online service that eligible people can use at home to understand their risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.'
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Three injured as car drives into Costa Coffee window
Three people have been injured after a car drove into a Costa Coffee cafe. The vehicle crashed into the coffee shop on Burford Road, Carterton in Oxfordshire, on Wednesday afternoon. Police have urged the public to avoid the area and the road has been closed. Emergency services scrambled onto the scene to treat the three injured. The ambulance service said all three people were conscious and breathing and had been taken to a local hospital for treatment. A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "We are currently responding to an incident in Carterton. "A vehicle has been driven into Costa Coffee in Burford Road, injuring three people. 'Emergency services are at the scene and the road has been closed. We would advise the public to avoid the area at this time.' The spokesperson added: "We do not believe this was a deliberate act on behalf of the driver." The force urged the public not to share footage of the scene on social media, "out of respect for those who have been injured". Those with footage of the incident should contact police by calling 101 or online, quoting the reference number INC-20250507-1109. A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service said: "We have sent three ambulances, a rapid response car, our air ambulance team and our Hazardous Response Team at this time. "We've been informed that there are three casualties, all of whom are conscious and breathing, and are being conveyed to the John Radcliffe hospital."
