3 Lives - Give the Gift of Hope This Christmas

Meet Emily, Erin and Billy.

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Three people. Three very different journeys. One message of hope.

STROKE

“My life changed in a heartbeat at just 19 years old.”

Emily from Newry

I suffered a headache unlike anything I had experienced before. The pain was unbearable, then I lost consciousness. I woke in Intensive Care after a ten-hour emergency operation. An Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) – a tangle of blood vessels in my brain – had burst and caused a bleed. In February 2023, after further treatment, I needed another operation. I was woken during the procedure and knew something had gone terribly wrong. I had suffered a haemorrhagic stroke.

Once again, I was in Intensive Care. This time, I was paralysed down my left side, with significant permanent vision loss. My dominant hand no longer worked. I had to relearn how to sit, walk, write and manage everyday tasks.

After five months and three hospitals, I finally went home. I had made great progress, but life after stroke was difficult to face. I had believed I would fully recover. I was only 20; my friends were at university, planning their futures, while I
adjusted to a life I had never expected.

Then Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke came into my life. They helped me cope with my health anxieties and limitations and focus not on what I had lost, but on what was still possible.

They gave me the Gift of Hope.

I’m incredibly proud to have returned to university and completed my law degree. I’m now about to begin my master’s degree in Edinburgh.

A few years ago, my future felt uncertain. Today, I’m excited about what lies ahead.

CHEST

“Christmas has always been special to me – I’m a professional Santa Claus!”

Billy from Newtownards

I love spreading festive cheer and creating magical memories for families across Northern Ireland. But there was a time when I wasn’t sure what my future held.
I had been a smoker for around 30 years and as a teenager had tuberculosis which scared my lungs.

Over the years, I developed a cough and eventually started vaping instead of smoking. Years later, while leaving for work as a school bus driver, I coughed so
badly I nearly passed out.

I quit vaping, but my cough worsened and I was diagnosed with COPD and asthma. I was constantly short of breath. Carrying shopping or talking for too long left me struggling. Eventually, I needed a walking stick and a mobility scooter.

Living with a respiratory condition can be frustrating and isolating. Each morning, you must work out what your body will allow.

Then Michael, a NICHS Care Services Co-ordinator, invited me to a group. I thought, “Why not?” It was one of my best decisions.

At Breathing Better Wellness Sessions, I chat, laugh and share experiences with people who understand. The Taking Control programme also gave me practical skills and confidence.

NICHS helped me take control of my health, enjoy life again and realise I wasn’t alone.

NICHS gave me the Gift of Hope.

Now I support NICHS whenever I can, including playing Santa at our group Christmas party and sharing hope, joy and Christmas magic – this Christmas and beyond.

HEART

“I thought a diagnosis would bring relief. Instead, I felt completely lost.”

Erin from Derry/Londonderry

When I was diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) at just 22, I thought finally having an answer would bring relief. Instead, I felt completely lost.

For a long time, I had experienced fainting, chest pain, dizziness, heart palpitations and extreme fatigue. Even walking upstairs or standing up could send my heart
rate soaring.

There is no cure for PoTS, and I was told little could be done. It was devastating. I was in my early twenties, yet the condition had already stopped me driving and
forced me to take time out from university. The future seemed hopeless.

Then Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke came into my life through their Heart Strong programme.

For the first time since my diagnosis, I met people who understood life with a heart condition. Although our conditions differed, we shared many symptoms and emotions. The practical advice helped me manage my symptoms and showed me how to take back some control.

I had stopped dancing and was afraid to exercise because I didn’t know what was safe. At Heart Strong, I discovered activities such as Pilates that could help me
gradually rebuild my strength.

Heart Strong gave me the Gift of Hope.

Today, I’m back at university and work four days a week as a classroom assistant. Before Heart Strong, fatigue meant I couldn’t have managed one day. Now I have
techniques that help me cope, and I feel more positive, optimistic and confident.

The future once felt frightening. Now, I’m excited by how far I’ve come – and how far I might go.

Our Care Services are there for people when they need support most – after a diagnosis, following a hospital stay, or as they adjust to life with a long-term condition. Our Co-ordinators work in communities right across Northern Ireland, helping people rebuild confidence, develop new skills and find ways to live well.

- Ursula Ferguson, Director of Care Services

This Christmas, give someone hope for tomorrow.

When a chest, heart or stroke condition changes your life, the future can feel uncertain.

But your kindness can help someone find hope again.

Emily, Erin and Billy each faced challenges, but with the right support found hope for the future.

This Christmas, your donation could help someone with a chest, heart or stroke illness rebuild their life, understand their condition and regain lost confidence.

Please help someone feel less alone and face tomorrow with hope.

Give the Gift of Hope This Christmas

How much would you like to give?

£20
Other

£20 will help fund a home visit from a Family Support Co-ordinator and give the Gift of Hope to someone like Emily, Erin or BIlly.

Donate £20

Choose your own donation amount

How much would you like to give?

At least 80p in every £1 raised or donated is spent delivering our life-changing care and prevention services, as well as funding local research into these illnesses.

How does NICHS spend donations?

Thanks to our loyal supporters we raised more than £3.35 Million last year to support our programmes across Northern Ireland.

£1.39 Million was spent on delivering our care support programmes, £576k was spent on delivering our prevention programmes and £736k on local research into chest, heart and stroke related conditions.

In other words, for every £1 raised, around 80p, went directly to funding our care and prevention programmes as well as research to help fight chest, heart and stroke conditions.

How you can help

Over 335,000 people in Northern Ireland are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions, and these illnesses are responsible for 37% of all adult deaths every year. That's almost 6,000 people. Every day across Northern Ireland 11 people will suffer a stroke and 17 will have a heart attack.

With your support we are able to continue our vital care and prevention work across the community, caring for people who are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and helping prevent people becoming ill in the first place.

Support us today and help us lead the fight against chest, heart and stroke illnesses across Northern Ireland.

Donate
Gift Aid is a scheme that allows charities to reclaim tax on donations made by UK taxpayers.

The scheme allows us to reclaim 25% on qualifying donations and the additional income makes a big difference – enough to fund a local research project.

So please consider gift aiding your donations if you are a UK taxpayer.

Click here to find out more.
If you would like any further help, or have any questions, please contact Supporter Care on 028 9026 6743 or supportercare@nichs.org.uk
The work that we do is only possible because of the generous donations that we receive from our supporters. You are very important to us. Thank you so much for helping us in the care and prevention of chest, heart and stroke illnesses across Northern Ireland.

When you make a donation to Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, we promise that :
- Your donation will be used wisely, responsibly and for the purpose given.
- If a donation is made for a specific purpose we will honour that request.
- We will safeguard your personal information in line with Data Protection principles.
- We will communicate with you in accordance with your wishes.
- Queries or complaints will be responded to as quickly as possible.
- Administration costs will be kept to a minimum.
- Your support will be acknowledged and we will keep you updated about how you are helping people who suffer from chest, heart or stroke illnesses.
- Fundraisers will respect you as a donor and will be transparent in their dealings with you at all times.
- Fundraisers will work to the highest professional standards and will adhere to the practices and guidelines as directed by the Institute of Fundraising.
- Where donations are solicited indirectly, i.e. by 3rd party agencies, we recognise that donors have the right to request information about them.
If you have any questions, please contact Supporter Care on 028 9026 6743 or supportercare@nichs.org.uk.