Post by Ingrid
So it seems that since my SCA in 2016 I have collected a number of mementoes and keepsakes from that day and the days following.
I have all the usual stuff such as hospital wrist bands (and a couple of hospital blankets) and some photographs of myself and of ‘my spot’ (scar on my chest where my ICD was inserted) but I also have a few other things that are unique to me.
One of which is a receipt for a KFC that I collected as a drive through 10 minutes before I collapsed, but never ate. I was on my way to visit a friend and collapsed at the end of her driveway and only the birds will know how tasty my zinger tower burger was that day!!!
Another friend even gave me her hospital parking receipt!
I have a large collection of get well cards and drawings from my kids and nephews, flat balloons and teddy bears, pandora bracelet charm… the list goes on.
Some of these were gifts from friends and relatives and I will treasure them forever.
It amazes me, the things we keep to remind us about significant things that happen to us. Having asked some other survivors what they have collected I was amused by the variety of ‘trinkets’ accumulated, some of these include
- Rosary beads
- A black eye
- Train ticket –
HA ! - Defib pads
- DIY
sos rebuild tv programme appearance - A scar on an eyeball
- ECG printouts
- Defib pad burn scars
- Hospital socks (not surgical stocking variety)
- Clothing items cut up the front (some have even been framed!)
- Scars and mended broken bones
- ICD’s
- A life a little bit different than before
- Tattoos
- BBC Helicopter Heroes documentary appearance
- A diagnosis of something unknown about pre SCA
Following on from the trauma collections there are some things we have achieved as a group, one of which is having blogs published in a book entitled ‘Life After Cardiac Arrest: Writings from Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK’ (available on Amazon at a bargain price and well worth a read).
Some of the group have abseiled and climbed buildings.
There have been meetups and gatherings, TV and media appearances for different reasons and much more!
Some of us even have a post-SCA memento of being a Guinness World Record holder – how cool is that! How exciting is it to be part of something so amazing and the memories of that day will stay with the participants forever.
Go us!!
Have you got any special items you saved from that fateful day? or have done something memorable since? If so please do let us know.
After our first meet-up in February 2015, I realised I was not alone. It was the first time since my cardiac arrest the previous year that I had spoken face-to-face with someone who had experienced what I had. This was also true for my wife, who also happened to be my lifesaver. From that meet-up, the idea of SCA UK was born. Since then, we have achieved a considerable amount, primarily providing information, resources and support to others in a similar situation but also raising the profile of survivorship and the need for better post-discharge care. We are starting to get traction in this, and with the formation of the charity, I genuinely believe we have a bright future ahead and will make a significant difference in the lives of many who join our ranks.