Posted on: 19 Jul 2021
A consultant who was hospitalised for more than a year after suffering from a stroke has taken on a walking challenge to thank staff at Nottingham’s NHS hospitals for their care.
David Chadwick, a consultant surgeon at Nottingham Hospitals, suffered a stroke in January 2019 after being previously fit and well. Despite only just learning to walk again, David decided to take on our ‘Hike for your Hospitals’ challenge, to raise money for the hospital team who cared for him.
Hike for your Hospitals is a sponsored walk with a difference – each participant can choose when, where and how far they walk. David chose to take on the Bestwood Park 5k parkrun route, which he used to run before his stroke, by walking it in small stages over a period of several weeks.
He raised more than £6,000 for Linden Lodge Rehabilitation Centre at the City Hospital, where he was treated for around ten months of his time in hospital.
David's challenge
David explained: “The sponsored walk was a big challenge for me. It was pretty tough because I’m only just learning to walk again after my stroke. It was good to be outside again, but it was definitely hard going.”Talking about why he chose to raise money for Nottingham Hospitals, David explained: “I was very impressed with the Linden Lodge staff and the way they looked after me. Not just the therapists, but the nursing staff as well, were all really great. I really felt cared about rather than just cared for. It was amazing the amount of care they showed to each individual patient, when they had so many people to look after, many of whom needed constant care.”
David is now back at work, on “desk-duty”, but is still recovering from his stroke. Speaking about the amount of money he raised for Nottingham Hospitals Charity, he said: “I’m really pleased to have raised such a fantastic amount of money. The physiotherapy team at Linden Lodge often need equipment to help them help their patients, so hopefully this money will make a difference to them.”
Follow in David's footsteps
Louise Knight, Head of Fundraising at Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “We are absolutely in awe of David for taking on this incredible challenge just two years after his stroke. The money he has raised will make a huge difference to other patients like David being treated at Linden Lodge, by helping provide better equipment and facilities.“We launched our Hike for your Hospitals challenge with people like David in mind – our participants can choose when and where they walk, setting their own pace and their own target. Whether that’s a 5k parkrun route like David, or a five-day hike across mountainous terrain, we’d like to encourage everyone in Nottinghamshire to get walking in aid of their local hospitals.”