That’s why last year we launched our first ever Who Cares Wins health awards.
Today is the second annual event, taking place in the year of the NHS’s 70th birthday.
It is a chance for Sun readers to pay tribute to your health heroes – the doctors, nurses, midwives, volunteers and other medical staff who have saved your lives or cared for your loved ones.
Inside this special souvenir pullout, you can read the moving and inspiring stories of the 33 nominees in all 11 categories – including the Christina Newbury Memorial Award, in honour of our Health Editor who died suddenly earlier this year, aged just 31.
See tomorrow’s story to find out the winners.
BEST HEALTH CHARITY
Lily's death inspired mum to help others with disease
WHEN Liz Curtis lost her eight-month-old daughter Lily to mitochondrial disease, she was determined no other family should suffer the same pain.
So she founded The Lily Foundation in 2007 and has dedicated her life to raising awareness of the incurable, life-limiting genetic condition.
To date, the charity has invested £1.6million in research and earlier this year Peter Kay raised £34,000 through screenings of his hit TV show Car Share.
Liz, who has two older daughters Katie, 15, and Rosie, 13, with partner Dave Merritt, 46, had no idea she carried the deadly gene when Lily was born in August 2006.
The mum, 44, from Warlingham, Surrey, said: “We knew we weren’t the only family affected in the UK, but because of patient confidentiality the doctors could not put us in touch with anyone.
“We didn’t want other parents to feel like that so that’s why I set up the charity.” Liz has helped around 400 families across the UK affected by the disease.
Kitty Banks, 47, whose son Arthur, seven, has the condition, nominated Liz and her charity.
Kitty, above with Arthur and Liz, from Basingstoke, Hants, said: “After the diagnosis, it felt like my whole world collapsed, but Liz has been an amazing support.”
Pregnant cancer sufferers given emotional support
PETE Wallroth and his wife Mair were awaiting the arrival of their second child when she was given a devastating diagnosis.
At 22 weeks pregnant, Mair was told she had breast cancer.
Pete, of Glossop, Derbys, said: “One minute we were looking forward to having a baby and the next we weren’t sure if Mair would survive and if she could keep the baby.”
After their son Merlin was born, Mair was immediately put on stronger chemotherapy.
But the cancer spread to her brain and she died two months after giving birth at the age of 41.
Pete was left to bring up Merlin, now six, and their daughter Martha, now nine, both pictured with Mair and Pete in 2012, as well as juggling his full-time job as a community investment manager.
But, determined to help others in a similar situation, in 2013 he founded Mummy's Star in Mair’s memory. The charity provides emotional and financial support for women affected by cancer during pregnancy and after birth. Pete, 38, said: “We want women to know they are not the only ones going through this.”
Mum-of-two Nicola Reeves, 42, from Buntingford, Herts, recently celebrated getting the five-year all-clear from breast cancer and nominated Mummy’s Star. She said: “It’s been an absolute lifeline.”
Friendship scheme stops the elderly feeling lonely
MIKE Niles is on a mission to tackle loneliness by matching volunteer “befrienders” with isolated elderly neighbours.
Mike, 32, started b:FRIEND nearly two years ago after moving back to his hometown of Doncaster, South Yorks.
While living in London, he had volunteered with a similar charity and befriended Mitzi, 77.
Mike said: “Despite the age gap, we had so much in common and I got so much out of it.”
But when he couldn’t find anything in his area, he decided to set up b:Friend.
Mike said: “I didn’t have any qualifications in social care and had no experience. I felt like a fraud, but I could see there was a clear lack of support.”
The charity, which also runs weekly social clubs, has so far matched 70 volunteers with elderly neighbours.
Kath Scott, 73, was referred after she lost her husband Geoff, 73, to cancer last year.
The retired hairdresser, who was married to Geoff for 50 years, was matched with mum-of-three and housing officer Nicola Smith, 39, seven months ago – and they immediately hit it off.
Great-gran Kath, above with Mike and Nicola, said: “She’s like a daughter now. They have been a lifeline for me. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
BEST NURSE
Offers lifeline to Grenfell victims and homeless
GABRIELLE Bleidorn has worked with homeless people and addicts in London for years – but the Grenfell Tower tragedy has made her role more crucial than ever.
The peripatetic health and wellbeing nurse, 42, works at St Cuthbert’s, which is a drop-in centre right by the Grenfell block in Kensington, West London, which went up in flames on June 14 last year.
Gabrielle – described by her colleagues as “an angel of the streets” – has worked at the centre since 2005.
But after the catastrophic blaze, which killed 71 people, she has seen more people coming into St Cuthbert’s with mental health problems.
Gabrielle said: “The need for mental health support here has rocketed since the fire. One of my clients was in the tower and spent months sleeping rough because he was too scared to go into accommodation for fear of another fire starting. Another client lived opposite the tower while his family lived inside.” He went in to help but lost loved ones that night and his mental health was damaged.
Gabrielle continues: “I help with referrals to try to get the people whose lives have been devastated by the tragedy the help and support they desperately need.
“Some Grenfell families spent months on emergency bed spaces within hostels – and many are still in temporary accomodation. More than 1,700 people were displaced as a result of the disaster, and their need to access health care – both emotional and physical – has never been greater. It’s been tough going, but with the support of my bosses I’ve been able to set up vast referral pathways for some of the most vulnerable members of society.
“Getting them referred at the right time to the right specialist means they don’t end up in A&E when things get chronic. The fact I can refer myself means I don’t have to wait for GPs to do it either.”
A large part of Gabrielle’s work is with homeless people. In the UK, life expectancy for men is 79 and for women it is 82. But for those living on the streets it is 47 and 45.
Gabrielle added: “I know the homeless and street community really well now and in the dark, winter months they always help me on my walk between appointments to make sure I get to each patient safely.”
Gabrielle was nominated for Best Nurse by her manager Teresa Wirz, 42, area manager for addictions at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.
Teresa said: “She is honestly an angel of the streets. She gives support and respect to people who have none and goes a million miles above and beyond what’s expected. She’ll literally knock on doors and write lengthy letters to make sure the people under her care get what they need. Her patients all adore her.”
Gabrielle has been a nurse for nearly 20 years and has worked as a midwife in ICU and endoscopy at Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, and hospices in Kent. She used to volunteer in a soup kitchen before applying for her current role.
St Cuthbert’s is a day centre for rough sleepers and anyone on the margins of society who has mental health or substance misuse issues.
Gabrielle added: “I love my job and I’m lucky to work with an incredibly supportive team.”
Trek through snowstorm went viral
WHEN snowstorms hit the UK in late February – the worst in 30 years – it brought travel chaos across the country.
Health chiefs warned people to stock up on medicine, schools closed, transport ground to a halt and homes were left without power.
But Kat Mayer, 39, ward sister at Lincoln County Hospital, was determined to get to work to care for her patients.
Kat decided to set out on what would be a three-hour trek from her home in North Hykeham to the hospital by foot.
To keep herself entertained, the mum of one filmed her journey of around ten miles and live-streamed it on her Facebook page. It went viral and has attracted more than 50,000 views, with thousands of comments, likes and shares.
Kat said: “I’m just a nurse who loves my job who walked to work. I wrapped up warm and started out just like lots of my colleagues at the hospital did, I just videoed it. I didn’t think it would take as long as it did, so I thought I’d start filming it to keep myself entertained.
“I did it on a whim but soon I had lots of people watching it and sending me dares or time-checks or messages spurring me on.”
Kat also blagged a free McDonald’s breakfast after a friend watching her live feed dared her to ask for one.
By the time she got to work, 95 friends and colleagues had followed her journey online.
She added: “I knew we’d be short-staffed so I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I was knackered after ten minutes, which is why I look like a pink chipmunk in the video.”
Michelle Rhodes, 51, director of nursing, said: “The whole hospital were rooting for her by the time she arrived and Kat had a huge smile on her face.
“Despite having freezing feet she kept going, which is Kat all over. She never gives up.”
Now Kat is throwing herself into a new mission, fund-raising for a garden outside her ward.
Sarah talked patient out of suicide
NO ONE could say that A&E nurse Sarah Murphy’s job is boring. She once saved a suicidal patient who threatened to jump from a hospital roof. On another occasion she managed to arrange a wedding in four hours at the request of a dying patient.
Mum-of-six Sarah, from Birmingham, qualified as a nurse in 2006 after quitting her job as a supermarket baker. Since then she has found herself in some incredible situations.
Speaking about the suicide attempt, she said: “The woman wouldn’t speak to anyone but me. I knew her as I’d been caring for her. I spoke to her about her cats. I knew she loved them. It took hours but I managed to talk her down.”
Sarah, 43, works four 12-and-a-half-hour shifts a week, plus extra hours on call at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.
Her other most memorable incident away from her duties on A&E was when she arranged a wedding for a dying man. She said: “They’d been together 30 years. They said they’d like to get married, but time had run out. I agreed to help. I called the register office and asked, ‘How can I get someone married in four hours?’
“I was told it was impossible, it would be the next day, but I knew he didn’t have until tomorrow. I managed to get a registrar to the hospital that afternoon. We put fairy lights up in the ward and they got married. He died 30 minutes later.”
Matron David Hornsby said: “Sarah is one of the nurses that the NHS’s reputation is built upon. She is who you would want to look after you if you ended up in A&E. She’s reliable, she supports other staff, the patients and their families. She always has a smile on her face. As a manager, it’s great to have a nurse like Sarah on the team.”
She has also organised a charity event to raise money for the homeless.
BEST DOCTOR
Doc's devoted to patients after decades of service
NOORWALLA Kassam, 74, is the GP we all dream of. He phones patients with results, reserves flu jabs for the most vulnerable and opens his surgery late twice a week. He even checks patients are OK if they miss an appointment.
Dr Kassam came to the UK in 1973 from Mumbai, India, and has run his practice in Salford for 24 years. He is nominated by patient Christine Rumbo, right with Dr Kassam, because he has cared for her family since the 1970s.
She said: “My dad Edward was Dr Kassam’s patient when he died of a heart attack aged 52 in 1976. Then he came to my mum Fay’s funeral in 2001 and he was my antenatal GP when I had my son Luis in 1991.”
Even after Christine moved away from the surgery’s catchment area, Dr Kassam agreed to keep her on their books.
She added: “He’s so patient and his bedside manner is amazing.”
Dr Kassam, a dad-of-three, is incredibly proud to be nominated, but says his patients and staff are what make his job so worthwhile.
He said: “The surgery is in a deprived area so the workload is more demanding, but I know we really make a difference here. This country gave me shelter, work and health. The least I can do is pay that back as long as I can.”
Saved life of cyclist whose pelvis had been crushed
AFTER a serious road accident in April 2016, Yair Shahar, from Finchley, North London, says he owes his life to London Air Ambulance medic Simon Walsh.
Yair, 48, said: “I was out cycling when at 7.50am I was hit by a car. It crushed my pelvis. I knew instantly the accident was a serious one and while passers-by stopped to help, I asked one to phone my wife to tell her what had happened.”
Dr Walsh, 48, arrived within minutes ready to use REBOA, which stands for Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta, to save Yair’s life.
Dr Walsh explained: “Yair told us he was on blood-thinners which isn’t what you want to hear when someone is bleeding internally, so we gave him medication to reverse that and started a Reboa procedure.
“You put a balloon in through the main artery in the groin and pass it up to above the pelvis then inflate it, so you block off the blood flow to the pelvis and legs which stops the bleeding. We were able to get Yair flown to the Royal London hospital and I visited him in intensive care the following evening.
“While his journey to walking again has been a long one, seeing him in bed surrounded by his family was one of the proudest moments of my career.”
Considerate and gentle medic changed Maisie's life
MAISIE Keetch, 13, from Rotherhithe, South London, has a rare strain of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), which means her skin blisters at the slightest touch.
The teenager, who wants to sing on Britain’s Got Talent, has nominated her paediatric dermatologist Dr Anna Martinez, 50.
Mum Amy, 35, said: “We are always at Great Ormond Street but Dr Martinez does everything she can to ease her condition. She once bought Maisie some special make-up to cheer her up. Maisie lives in constant pain. Bandaging her so her skin doesn’t come into contact with anything can take three hours every day.”
Amy, who believes Dr Martinez has changed Maisie’s life, added: “She speaks to Maisie on her level and explains everything in a way we can understand. She’s considerate and gentle – we adore her. When not treating patients she is planning clinical trials for new treatments which could eliminate the condition.”
Dr Martinez said: “She has one of the most severe types of EB. I’m humbled by how she and Amy deal with it. She doesn’t let her condition define her and it’s a privilege to be part of her journey.
“I hope that very soon a new treatment will mean Maisie’s condition isn’t so severe.”
MENTAL HEALTH HERO
Paige's personal notes are saving lives
AFTER Paige Hunter was stopped during a suicide attempt, the 18-year-old student took it upon herself to write handwritten notes to anybody else who might be considering suicide in the same spot.
She has tied more than 240 notes – including the Samaritans helpline – to the railings of Sunderland’s Wearmouth Bridge. It is estimated she has saved at least twelve lives.
Paige includes personal messages like: “Even though things are difficult, your life matters; you’re a shining light in a dark world, so just hold on.”
She said: “I’ve had lovely messages from people who are behind what I’m doing.”
Paige has also started volunteering for Sunderland Mind, a charity that helps young people with mental health conditions and has more notes planned.
She added: “Christmas is a particularly hard time for people with mental health conditions so I’ve started working on more notes that I’ll put up near Christmas. If I can change one person’s mind it’s worth it.”
Leigh Ann Thomson, 39, a co-ordinator at Sunderland Mind who nominated Paige, said: “Paige’s notes being handwritten have really resonated with the people.”
Husband's wife inspired Emma's country crusade
THE DPJ Foundation was set up by Emma Picton Jones in memory of her husband Daniel, who took his own life aged 34 in July 2016.
Daniel was a farm worker who had battled with mental health issues since his teens. He left a note asking her to help people like him.
Within weeks of becoming a widow aged just 27, Emma set up the charity to target rural and agricultural workers.
Emma, mum to Mali, six, and Trystan, four, said: “Dan tried to cope with his mental health issues but in the end he couldn’t. In his note he said it was too late for him but not for people like him.
“Agriculture has a poor track record of dealing with mental health. And farmers have access to shotguns and other things and often work in isolation. We’ve trained people who come into contact with farmers such as vets and suppliers to spot the signs of poor mental health and signpost them to us.”
Emma,has been nominated by Dave Jones, 50, who the charity helped.
He said: “I had four breakdowns but had never been offered counselling until I got in touch with Emma. Now I can see a future I can look forward to.”
- See thedpjfoundation.com.
Mary's home from home for mentally sick
MARY Mitchell has spent the last seven years opening her home to patients with mental health conditions.
She offers them a place to stay for a few days or months after they have been discharged from inpatient psychiatric unit stays in hospital. Over the years she has supported 37 people.
Retired GP receptionist Mary, 71, lost two husbands to leukaemia in the same hospital room in Stevenage – Eric in 1981 and Barry in 2008. She decided to start volunteering for her local NHS trust and that led to her offering her home to patients.
Mary, from Stevenage, Herts, said: “My son was worried sick when I started volunteering – he thought I’d be attacked or worse. But these people are at their most vulnerable and need support. Some have been in hospital for months and so regaining independence and joining society again is a scary prospect.”
Clare Jones, 33, nominated her. Clare said: “She’s such an amazing lady and nothing is ever too much trouble. You can’t help but feel relaxed when you’re with Mary. She makes everyone feel welcome.”
Mary’s scheme is run by North & East Hertfordshire Trust and is the only one in the UK like it.
BEST NEONATAL SPECIALIST
Premature twins of their lives to caring staff
LEANNE Whitaker feared she would not be able to have children after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. Following years of desperately trying to conceive, she was thrilled to discover she was pregnant with twins.
But her worst fears appeared to be coming true when she went into premature labour at just 23 weeks. Leanne, 30, said: “I was absolutely terrified. I thought I was going to lose my babies.”
Doctors at Hull Royal Infirmary tried to delay the birth by inserting surgical stitches.
Leanne, of Malton, North Yorks, said: “The surgery carried risks because they could accidentally puncture the amniotic sac.”
She was kept on bed rest and they were able to keep the twins in place for a further three weeks before her waters broke. Leanne said: “I had to wait until I was one hour into the 26-week mark before it was safe to deliver them as they would have a higher chance of survival.”
When Kacy and Keira were born in October 2016 they continued to have life-threatening conditions. Keira weighed just 1lb 6oz, had underdeveloped lungs and sleep apnoea. Brother Kacy, at 1lb 9oz, had kidney and bowel problems.
Leanne said: “He had six operations in total. He nearly died on three or four occasions. I was constantly hanging by a thread thinking what’s going to happen next?” Only several months later were the twins deemed well enough to go home.
Leanne said: “It’s impossible to single out one person – everyone was incredible. My babies wouldn’t be here without them.”
NICU manager Kate Lamming, 39, said: “The twins are so precious to us and we did everything that we could to support them.”
Youngest survivor thanks to surgeon
ABIAGEAL Peters could fit in her surgeon’s hand when she was born at just 23 weeks. She had developed a life-threatening gut condition called necrotising enterocolitis that had caused her intestine to rupture and surgery was her only hope of survival.
Medics at St George’s Hospital, in southwest London, had never operated on a baby so small – and had less than ten per cent chance of success.
At six days old, Abi underwent the pioneering op led by consultant paediatric surgeon Mr Zahid Mukhtar
He said: “We used specialist equipment but her organs and tissues were so fragile. They were almost jelly-like.”
Incredibly, Abi pulled through and is believed to be the world’s youngest survivor of this type of surgery. She turns two on October 22 and will be celebrating with a party. Mum Louise, 34, said: “It’s a very exciting milestone as apparently she should be over all of the effects of prematurity.”
Louise, who lives in Esher, Surrey, with husband David, 44, Abi and daughter Tara, three, described Mr Mukhtar as “a hero”. She said premature Abi weighed just 1lb 5oz and her stomach was “turning black” when she was transferred to St George’s in Tooting.
Mr Mukhtar, 47, said: “She was so poorly she had just hours to live. She was so unstable it was a really difficult decision – either we do nothing and she will die or operate and run the risk she might not survive surgery.”
Louise said: “Most surgeons wouldn’t have touched Abi because she was just so small, but Mr Mukhtar was willing to try and so were we. She had less than a ten per cent chance of survival, but I just knew she was in good hands with him.”
Calm medic saved life of Frankie – Britain's tiniest baby boy ever
WHEN Frankie Thompson was born at 24 weeks, he weighed just 13oz – less than a tin of baked beans.
The survival chances are 50-50 for such a premature baby, but the odds were further stacked against Frankie due to his size.
Mum Michelle could only look on helplessly as medics at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, battled to save her tiny son. Michelle, 36, from Farnborough, Hants, recalled: “There were about 20 doctors and nurses in the room trying to resuscitate him because he was not breathing.”
The team had tried, unsuccessfully, three times to intubate Frankie, and his life was hanging in the balance when consultant neonatologist Dr Peter Reynolds arrived.
Dr Reynolds, 52, who was called in from home as an emergency, said: “The situation on the evening Frankie was born is something I will never forget – none of us had been faced with resuscitating such a small baby before. Frankie was delivered breech and there had been a nine-minute delay between his body and his head being delivered. The registrar had not been able to intubate him due to his tiny size and was not sure whether it would be possible. I decided we should try again, and I was able to intubate him.”
BA flight attendant Michelle, who went into early labour last September, remembers the hero medic remaining calm throughout the ordeal. She said: “It was a terrifying situation, not knowing if my baby would survive, but just looking at Dr Reynolds made me feel at ease. “I remember him coming in and taking charge. I don’t know if we even exchanged words but I remember him being so calm and in control of the situation. Frankie was so tiny. He needed a lot of skill and there was a lot of pressure to get it right.”
Dr Reynolds said: “I remember telling his parents and grandparents that I was not sure he was going to survive. The first few days were particularly tricky, but Frankie overcame a lot of challenges.
Frankie is now 17lb 5oz. Dr Reynolds continued: “Seeing him now, so big and full of life, is incredibly rewarding.”
After three months in hospital, Frankie was well enough to come home to Michelle, dad Pete, 42, and nine-year-old step-sister Tilly. He is believed to be the smallest British baby boy ever born.
Dr Reynolds said: “I’m extremely touched to be nominated for an award, especially a national one like The Sun’s Who Cares Wins. I’m also pleased for the recognition this gives to our Neonatal Unit at St Peter’s Hospital. This is a real morale boost at a time when our team and services are under intense pressures.”
GROUNDBREAKING PIONEER/DISCOVERY
Created a life-saving app dubbed the 'Uber of CPR'
AIR ambulance doctor and neurologist Mark Wilson has developed the Good Sam App – dubbed the “Uber of CPR” – with co creator Ali Ghorbangholi.
‘Sam’ stands for Smartphone Activated Medics. People with CPR training who’ve signed up to the app are alerted if there is an emergency nearby. Numerous lives have already been saved thanks to this great idea.
One of them is Lyn Davies, 70, from Dovercourt, Essex, who had a heart attack at her social club.
Matt Foulkes, 47, from Wollaston, Northants, downloaded the app after it was integrated into East Midlands Ambulance Service vehicles. He got to Lyn within two minutes.
Her daughter Penny said: “Mum suddenly collapsed and we called 999. Matt arrived almost instantly. He was able to work on mum for ten minutes before the ambulance arrived.”
Your chances of surviving a cardiac arrest decrease by ten per cent for every minute you wait for an ambulance. Penny added: “Thanks to the app, mum’s alive and well with no brain damage.”
Over 40,000 responders have signed up to the life-saving app which also has a database of defibrillator locations built in. App co-creator Mark, 44, said: “We had the idea in 2013 and within 12 months it was up and running.”
- See goodsamapp.org.
Advancing revolutionary treatment for leukaemia
DR Martin Pule, 45, and his team at University College London have been working on revolutionary CAR-T therapy, which was recently given the green light by the NHS to treat leukaemia.
Pioneered in the US, it is one of the most important breakthroughs in cancer treatment for decades and re-engineers a patient’s own white blood cells to fight cancer and injects them back into the body.
The treatment has been available on the NHS since last month. Dr Pule, right, and his team are now working on using the same techniques on other cancers.
He said: “T-cells are part of our immune system. They are like little robots on a seek-and-destroy mission against infected cells. We take T-cells from patients’ blood and re-programme them to detect and fight cancer when reinjected back. We engineer the T-cells as you do with electronics.”
Driving instructor Scott Davies, 50, from Nottingham, has nominated Martin and his team after participating in a clinical trial for his leukaemia.
He said: “I had extensive chemo and a bone marrow transplant and went into remission in August 2016. But I relapsed and I decided to start the trial. I am now clear from leukaemia. The CAR-T therapy is incredible. So far, it’s saved my life.”
Smartphone-linked device helps manage diabetes
PROF Roman Hovorka and his team at the University of Cambridge’s Metabolic Research Laboratories are developing an artificial pancreas – hooked up to a smartphone – that could transform the management of Type 1 diabetes.
The device, which delivers insulin using an algorithm, means diabetics could avoid having to give themselves the 65,000 injections in an average lifetime.
Prof Hovorka said: “The artificial pancreas uses a continuous glucose monitor implant to check insulin levels in the blood. It’s hooked up to a smartphone and an insulin pump so the glucose levels are fed back to the phone. An algorithm in it works out the amount of insulin required and the pump delivers it.
“We’re trying to mimic the function of the pancreas. The mathematics are very challenging.”
Clinical nurse specialist Adam Dawes, 33, says patients are always reluctant to return the device at the end of the trials. He said: “I work mostly with children. It lets them forget about their diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most pervasive conditions there is.
“People with diabetes can’t do anything without taking it into account and the artificial pancreas gives them the chance to do just that.”
TRIALS 'N TESTING OF IDEAS
From there, it can take up to a dozen years to turn the spark of an idea into a medicine doctors are able to prescribe.
During those years, teams of dedicated scientists will test thousands of potential medicines in the laboratory and, at any point along that journey, the medicine may fail the tests and scientists have to return to the drawing board.
But using modern tools, scientists can skilfully find the one medicine that may cure a particular disease.
They then carry out safety tests before handing the medicine over to researchers to test in patients.
Some drug trials involve only a few patients, if it is a treatment for a rare disease.
Other trials involve thousands of people who take the medicine so that doctors and scientists can judge whether the discovery works.
Once the trials are over, they present the evidence to the healthcare regulators so they can decide on the risks and benefits, and if the medicine should get a licence. But the research does not stop there.
Pfizer will then continue to study prescribed medicines in what are called real world studies.
It is important to check there are not any unexpected side effects when medicines are used by patients who are not part of a trial.
The time it takes and the complexities involved mean that it costs, on average, £1.15 billion to discover, study and make a new medicine available to patients.
Medicine discovery in the UK is very successful and our life science industry is critical to the economic strength of the country.
It employs 140,000 people and, for every job, the industry supports another two and a half jobs elsewhere in the country. Plus it makes a massive £30.4bn a year for the UK.
Pfizer works with NHS doctors who are studying new medicines.
We have worked with the NHS for 65 years, ever since Pfizer opened its first facility in the UK. We are a leading supplier of medicines to the NHS, delivering more than 160 different medicines and vaccines to pharmacies, surgeries and hospitals across the UK.
We share the NHS’s ambition of caring for the nation’s health and always put patients first when developing new medicines.
ULTIMATE LIFESAVER
Air crew saved stab victim and her unborn daughter
STABBED 24 times while eight months pregnant, Natalie Queiroz’s life was in the balance. The Midlands Air Ambulance crew not only saved her but her unborn daughter, too.
Natalie, of Sutton Coldfield, West Mids, recalled: “I was convinced I wasn’t going to make it.”
Natalie, who has two older daughters, had been walking in Sutton town centre in March 2016 when she was attacked.
Natalie, now 42, said: “All I could see was blood everywhere. I was convinced my baby inside me was dead.”
Two passers-by fought off her attacker, who was her partner Babur Raja in disguise. He was later jailed for 18 years.
The Midlands Air Ambulance airlifted her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where she was put in an induced coma and her daughter was delivered by caesarean.
Natalie said: “The blade missed her by two millimetres.” Natalie is nominating the air ambulance crew who saved her: Dr Ravi Chauhan, pilot Richard Steele, 41, and critical care paramedics Karen Baker, 38, and Steven Mitchell, 39.
Dr Chauhan said: “To have an outcome like that, faced with such short odds, was incredible.”
Life-saving volunteer Michael 'deserves a knighthood'
RUNNING the local butchers is a full-time job in itself but that doesn’t stop Michael Kinger saving lives in his spare time.
As a Community First Responder, he attends emergency calls in the few vital minutes before an ambulance arrives.
Last year Michael of Gunnislake, Cornwall, racked up 7,520 hours on 24-hour call – or 313 days. During his 12 years of selfless voluntary service he has saved countless lives – including Marilyn Smith, 67, who had a cardiac arrest at home.
Michael, 65, was first on the scene last July and used a defibrillator to shock her heart.
Retired secretary Marilyn, who is nominating him, said: “I would not be here if it weren’t for him.”
Her husband, retired soldier Mel, 71, said: “I was in such a panic but he was so calm. And by the time the ambulance arrived he’d got her heart going again.
“He doesn’t just deserve an award, but a knighthood.”
At Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, doctors found a blockage in one of Marilyn’s coronary arteries and she was fitted with a stent. Volunteers like Michael, who has been trained to attend life-threatening emergencies, are crucial, particularly in rural areas.
Michael said: “I’m on call most of the time. I just enjoy helping people.”
Hero 7/7 terror doctor who founded air ambulance
WINTER Olympics gold medallist Amy Williams has nominated Alastair Wilson, the founder of the London Air Ambulance, for his lifetime of service and dedication to the UK trauma scene.
Amy, 35, said: “It seems so normal now that the air ambulance exists but it’s thanks to Alastair and his hugely progressive thinking that doctors are in helicopters across the country.”
Alastair, 70, was the “Gold Commander” at the Royal London Hospital during the 7/7 terror attacks and was responsible for the entire hospital’s trauma response team.
He said: “It’s an honour to be nominated for a Who Cares Wins Award. In the 1980s, there were so many road traffic deaths partly because ambulances took a long time to get through London traffic to hospital.
“It seemed a natural next step to put doctors in helicopters to speed up that journey. I’ve also worked on terror attacks and rail disasters. But now people are dealing with stabbings and shootings.
“The NHS has changed since I qualified five decades ago but the frontline staff are still what make it one of the most amazing and wonderful institutions in the world. There’s a camaraderie that’s so special.”
BEST MIDWIFE
Nurse consoles couple after death of triplets
EXCITED about the imminent arrival of their triplets, Mike and Cat Blewitt, from Tamworth, Staffs, were busy getting the house ready and buying all the things they needed. But just days after their 20-week scan, they lost all three babies following their premature birth.
The couple, both 36, say that if it were not for the kind care of bereavement midwife Nicola Taylor, from Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital, they would not have been able to get through the grief.
Nicola, 46, came in to support them, despite not being on shift, and has worked closely with the family as they come to terms with their tragedy.
The triplets lived for 90 minutes before passing away within minutes of one another.
Primary school teacher Cat said: “We were told there was nothing doctors could do so when the babies were delivered they stayed on me until they took their last breaths.”
The family were taken to the hospital’s Eden maternity bereavement suite. Jack, Lottie and Rosie were placed in cuddle cots to allow Mike and Cat precious bonding time.
Mike, who works in IT planning management, said: “We were in a world of pain but Nicky appeared like an angel. She showed up at the right time and never left our side. She took some beautiful images of our babies and she did casts of their hands and feet too which we’ll treasure for ever.”
Nicky said: “We have a very short time to help families like Mike and Cat make memories which will have to last them a lifetime so it’s vital we get everything right.”
Mike added: “Nicky told us to expect a dip after the funeral. She talked us through the grieving process and what to expect.
“Couples could split up over a loss like ours but thanks to Nicky we’re closer than we’ve ever been and have been able to mourn our babies in a healthy way.”
Fraught mum saved in hour of need
COMMUNITY midwife Serena Smith, 37, goes above and beyond – attending to her clients whatever the hours.
Kelly Taylor, 36, says she would be “dead or divorced” without Serena’s unwavering support. Kelly, of Wellingborough, Northants, said: “Serena was the third midwife I saw when I was pregnant with Jasper. But we bonded instantly and she gave me her mobile number in case I ever needed her.”
Jasper was born in May 2016 and, a month later, Serena discharged Kelly “but reminded me she was there if I ever needed her”.
Despite being diagnosed with postnatal depression, Kelly managed the condition herself before things came to a head when Jasper was four months old.
She explained: “He wasn’t feeding and I was exhausted and at the end of my tether. I had a huge row with my husband Pete and I called Serena in tears. I was shaking and crying but ten minutes later she was on the doorstep.”
Soothing baby Jasper and helping to feed him, Serena fixed everything.
Kelly said: “I’d be dead or divorced without Serena that day.
“It took Pete and I a few months to come back from the big blow-up we had but Serena definitely saved us.”
Serena, from Northants, said: “It’s all part of the service. My ladies mean everything to me. My mobile is always on and I’ll always help whenever I’m needed. I could tell by Kelly’s voice it was serious. Kelly is a fantastic mum and was having a hard day, like lots of mums do. Her reaching out to me when she needed to and knowing I’d be there meant a lot to me too.”
Joy after midwife's stillborn help
WHEN Georgie Angwin and her partner Colin Campbell had a late miscarriage at 21 weeks in October 2015, midwife Amy Dunstan delivered their stillborn daughter Evie.
The couple, from Truro, Cornwall, discovered they were expecting again just ten months later – and knew who to call to help them through. Georgie, 24, and Navy aircraft engineer Colin, 31, believe there is no way they could have coped without Amy.
Georgie said: “She helped me through the loss of Evie and even remembered to send flowers on what would have been her first birthday.”
When it was time for her to give birth to daughter Orla, Amy came in on her day off to be there.
Georgie added: “There was no question for us Amy should deliver Orla and be her godmother. She cried when we asked her but she has been amazing.”
Amy, 26, said: “I was just doing my job delivering baby Evie but anything I can do to help families through that pain is a privilege. Georgie and Colin are such lovely parents and so deserving of the happiness they’ve found, it’s been an honour and a privilege to see them experience it.
“I have since become a bereavement midwife which is tough but incredibly rewarding. They’re life-long friends and I can’t wait to see Orla grow into the amazing little girl I know she’s going to become.”
YOUNG HERO
Raises money for hospital that helped him recover
CALLUM BECKETT and his grandfather were on their way to play golf when their van was hit by a speeding Range Rover.
Callum’s grandad Stephen Beckett, 59, died at the scene in August 2014. Callum was only nine.
The schoolboy, now 13, spent two months in Birmingham Children’s Hospital and had to learn to walk and talk all over again. Now he fundraises for the hospital.
Mum Wendy Donnithorne, 35, said: “Every day was a milestone. It was tiny steps. It was only about a week before he left hospital that we told him about his grandad. He couldn’t remember anything about the accident. He was distraught. Stephen was like a best friend to Callum, they did everything together – cricket, golf, football.
As he got older, Callum, from Walsall, West Mids, started to ask where he was treated, and decided to give something back. Last year he raised £5,000 for the hospital by doing a 2.4k run. He is planning his next fund-raiser.
Step-dad Steve Donnithorne, who nominated him, said: “Callum is a tremendous young man. He’s been through so much. He had to learn everything all over again after the accident -– to read, to write, to walk. To run in a race was an incredible achievement and he raised an incredible sum of money. All his family are very proud.”
Cares for brain-damaged big sister knocked off bike
SCHOOLBOY Nathan Crawford, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, has taken care of big sister Lauren since she was left severely brain damaged after being knocked off her bike.
Lauren is unable to walk or talk, and her family are unsure how much she can see or hear. But from the day she arrived home in September 2017, Nathan, 15, has helped to take care of her.
He was nominated by mum Elaine McFarlane, 46.
She said: “Nathan does so much for his sister, especially at weekends when other boys his age are out kicking a football in the park or playing video games. If we go out anywhere, he will get the wheelchair ready.
“His bedroom is just across from hers and he will always check on her. If he hears a machine bleep, he’ll run in to make sure she’s OK. He’ll put a blanket over her if she’s cold.”
Accountant Elaine, who lives with Lauren, now 17, Nathan and husband William, 53, added: “The two of them were so close. He loved her to bits. Sometimes now he will just sit and chat to her after school. We all feel incredibly proud. Nathan puts himself second and everybody else comes first. He is a hero to us.”
Lad's 999 call saved mum after extreme hypo attack
BRAVE six-year-old Henry Coles saved his diabetic mum’s life after she suffered an extreme hypoglycaemic attack.
Henry called 999, told the call handler where he lived in Knowle, Bristol, and sat with his mother until paramedics arrived.
His mum, full-time student Beth Uren, has Type 1 diabetes.
Beth, 31, said: “I woke up one day unable to really move or speak properly. I was having an extreme hypo. I managed to call Henry into my room and point to my Lucozade. I tried to crawl down the stairs, but I passed out.
“When I came to, Henry was sat next to me with the paramedics. He’d called 999 and told the call handler where we lived. His actions saved my life.”
After the incident in March this year, Henry met CBeebies star Andy Day, who nominated him for the award.
Beth added: “He adores Andy so getting the nomination from him is really special.”
Andy said: “Henry’s an amazingly brave little boy with a great personality. He’s a winner in my book.”
CHRISTINA NEWBURY MEMORIAL AWARD
THIS year we are introducing a new award in memory of Sun Health Editor Christina, who died suddenly aged 31 in March.
She was instrumental is setting up the first Who Cares Wins awards last year and was already busy planning this year’s event.
Tragic loss of three kids spurs on Underwoods
ROB and Maggie Underwood have lost three of their eight children due to genetic heart condition Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Daughter Charlotte, 16, died in 2010, son Craig, 17, in 2013 and son Carrick, 19, last January.
Chris, 26, Caroline, 25, and Cameron, 17, also all have the genetic condition, while Mitchell, seven, and Poppy, six, have yet to be tested.
Despite their family tragedies, Rob and Maggie above with Mitchell, have raised more than £300,000 to put defibrillators in locations across their home town – even the local supermarket.
Penny Lancaster, the wife of Rod Stewart who nominated the couple, said: “Rob and Maggie have endured the unimaginable not just once but three times. What makes them incredible is their level of dedication to making sure as few families as possible have to go through what they have.”
Idit is the voice of calm assurance amid chaos
LONDON suffered four major terrorist incidents in 2017 and, as a result, the NHS launched the UKs first Psychological Trauma Outreach, Screen and Support Service.
Lead by Consultant Clinical Psychologist and PTSD expert Dr Idit Albert the service has more than 550 people on their books.
There is no “typical” condition terror attack victims have but the team are treating patients with anxiety, depression and PTSD.
Dr Albert said: “We re- screen every three months as PTSD can be delayed and we give support at trigger points such as anniversaries.”
Psychologist Catherine Campbell, 36, above left with Dr Albert, said: “Idit is an expert in her field. She’s worked with survivors from Tunisia, Paris and Brussels. The nature of what we do means the people we see can be quite traumatised but Idit is a calm voice among their chaos.”
UK's first survivor of rare condition
VANELLOPE Wilkins was not expected to live when she was born with her heart outside her body last November – and had her first surgery within the hour. But thanks to the work of teams at two Leicester hospitals, she became the first baby in the UK to survive being born with the five-in-a-million condition.
Her parents Naomi Findlay, 32, and Dean Wilkins, 44, were advised to have a termination when the condition, known as ectopia cordis, was spotted on an early scan.
After later scans revealed she had no chromosomal abnormalities often associated with the condition, surgeons at Glenfield Hospital agreed to operate.
Doctors weren’t even sure if Vanellope would be able to breathe outside the womb and she had just a ten per cent chance of survival. Congenital heart surgeon Mr Branko Mimic said: “When she cried there wasn’t a dry eye in the theatre.”
The 4lb tot’s first op involved getting her heart inside her chest. Two more life-or-death ops saw her heart settle back inside, mesh put in to protect it and the area then covered with skin taken from under her arms.
Vanellope – named after the stubborn character from the Wreck-It Ralph movie – also beat an infection which made her body swell up to twice its normal size. She was later transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary before being moved to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre in May to be closer to her family in Bulwell, Notts.
Vanellope was also born without a breastbone and will need a further op to create one when she is bigger.
Her parents were allowed to bring her home for the first time last month and are hoping she will soon be home full-time.
They are so grateful they have nominated the Leicester medics for the award.
Builder Dean added: “The NHS doesn’t get enough recognition. We’ve witnessed first-hand what they can do.”
Mr Mimic said of the nomination: “Recognition such as this award of the team’s work is so rewarding – especially after the years of fighting to keep our Congenital Heart Disease centre open.”
UNSUNG HERO
Tireless campaigner singled out by cricket ace Taylor
JIM Lynskey, 22, has a mechanical heart after contracting meningitis as a baby. He campaigns tirelessly on behalf of heart disease patients and has started Save9Lives, an initiative to raise the number of young people on the organ donor register.
Jim, from Bromsgrove, Worcs, has been nominated by ex- England cricketer James Taylor.
James said: “I was about to start playing when I got chest pains that progressively got worse. I was later told I’d had a heart attack.
“I had a defibrillator fitted and had to retire from cricket aged 26.
“I’ve had to adjust to life with a heart condition, but Jim’s lived with one his entire life.
“He is one of the most positive and inspiring men I’ve met. His energy in the face of a heart condition and constant pain is something everyone can learn from.”
Jim said: “I love cricket, so the nomination from James means the world to me. While my heart condition leaves me with lots of limitations, it’s all I’ve ever known.”
Mark's first to volunteer – despite terminal diagnosis
FORMER lorry driver Mark Hughes, 57, from Great Wakering, Essex, was diagnosed with bone cancer 16 years ago.
He was told in 2011 his condition is terminal but he continues to fundraise, volunteer and campaign for charity Marie Curie.
He has been nominated by Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Mark said: “When I was told my cancer was terminal I didn’t have any money I could give to Marie Curie, but I wanted to start supporting them. So I wrote to football teams explaining my circumstances and asking for donations which I then auctioned off and gave the money to Marie Curie.
“Then, in 2014, a local Marie Curie shop opened and I started volunteering there and doing odd jobs to save them some money. I know my body might give up on me but, until then, if I can keep helping, I will.”
Mark’s nomination has come from mountaineer and explorer Sir Ranulph who climbed Russia’s highest peak Mount Elbrus for him in 2016.
Maureen's strength keeps sufferers moving forward
MAUREEN Bain, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, has been a volunteer for Breast Cancer Care for 16 years after been diagnosed in 1999.
The retired sales executive has beaten her illness and gone on to walk the Great Wall of China, raising £20,000 for the charity.
She also offers support to fellow survivors through her Moving Forward group.
Maureen, 70, said: “I can’t imagine a time I won’t volunteer. Sometimes I’ll see or speak to a lady who’s getting her life back on track after surgery and she’ll tell me how much I’ve helped.
“There’s so much strength you can get from other women who are in the same position as you.”
X Factor winner Alexandra Burke, above with Maureen, nominated her for the award.
Alex said: “The support Maureen provides means more women can be surrounded by solidarity and strength when they need it most. She’s an incredible woman and a real example of how a tough life experience can turn you into a stronger person.”
TIMELY PREVENTION CAN HELP SAFEGUARD ANTIBIOTIC CURES
That is why people watch what they eat, keep active, and get their children vaccinated. When someone does fall ill, they are lucky the NHS is there to treat them. But the effectiveness of one group of medicines we rely on, antibiotics, is under threat.
Alexander Fleming, who discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin, predicted as long ago as 1945 – three years before the birth of the NHS – that antibiotics would become less useful if they were not used properly. And, for many years, antibiotics have been mis-used.
So much so, that some antibiotics no longer kill the bacteria as they are supposed to do. When any bug develops resistance to the medicines designed to get rid of it, it is known as antimicrobial resistance or AMR. And AMR is a threat to everyone’s health.
The UK is leading the way in tackling antibiotic resistance.
In 2016, the Government secured a commitment from all the member countries of the UN to tackle rising levels of antibiotic resistance.
Pfizer is one of the largest providers of medicines to treat infections.
It first mass-produced penicillin in the UK in the 1950s for use in the newly created NHS. And it has been actively involved in the discovery and development of vaccines to prevent infections and medicines to treat them ever since.
Pfizer is working with scientists, doctors and academics to educate the general public and healthcare workers about antibiotics and how to use them responsibly to limit the bacteria’s ability to develop resistance.
As well as supporting the exhibition, Superbugs: The Fight For Our Lives at the Science Museum in London, plus it has recently launched a schools’ campaign, Superbugs: Join The Fight, working with the National Schools Partnership, the Personal Social Health and Economic Association and teachers around the country.
If prevention is better than cure then, in the case of antibiotics, preventing infections by increasing use of vaccines and only using antibiotics when absolutely necessary, we can ensure that antibiotics are available for many years to come.
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