Bristol News: Bristol family who lost father-of-five to coronavirus raise money for new ventilator for Southmead in his memory

The family of a man from Hanham who died from coronavirus last year have raised over £7,250 towards a new ventilator for the Intensive Care Unit at North Bristol NHS Trust.

 

Steve Gay, 64, died on 12 May after five weeks at Southmead Hospital. Although his wife was able to be by his side when he passed, his children had to say goodbye over FaceTime.

 

Last month, he would have celebrated his 65th birthday.

 

His family say he was a healthy man with no underlying health conditions but were told by doctors he had one of the worst cases of the virus they’d seen.

 

Since losing Steve, his loved ones have been determined to raise money through donations from the public to help provide a piece of life-saving equipment for other patients admitted to the same unit, where he spent the last few weeks of his life.

 

In a socially distanced and emotive ceremony, his children were able to return to North Bristol NHS Trust to hand over a £7,250 cheque to Southmead Hospital Charity, which supports patients, staff and families at the Trust’s hospitals.

 

Philippa Carey, who works as an administrator for local community healthcare provider Sirona care & health, said her father would be so proud of them:

 

“We are so grateful to all the staff at Southmead Hospital who cared for our dad during the last few weeks of his life and this is our small way of saying thank you.

 

“Our dad was the life and soul of the party and we miss him every single day however, fundraising in his memory has given us something to focus on whilst we continue to grieve and we know he would have been so proud of us.”

 

The money donated in Steve’s memory will help provide an MRI-compatible ventilator that will make it easier for patients in an induced coma to have an MRI scan.

 

Hannah Jones from Southmead Hospital Charity said:

 

“We know that coming back today was difficult for Philippa and her family. The generosity shown by those who knew and loved Steve is inspiring, and will create a powerful, lasting legacy for their beloved dad, helping many critically ill patients and the staff caring for them for years to come.”