Hannah’s Story: “Without King’s, I wouldn’t be here”

When Hannah woke up on Pancake Day in February 2023, she thought she was facing a chest infection.

But that morning, everything changed.

“I started the day off as normal, tried to get my breakfast, and then all of a sudden I couldn’t breathe,” she recalls. “I literally couldn’t get any air in. I couldn’t stop coughing.”

Hannah managed to throw herself onto the sofa and called her mum. “As soon as she saw me, she knew something was wrong,” she says. 

At the hospital, Hannah learned she had severe pneumonia, which quickly deteriorated. “I remember being in A&E and I just thought: I’m going to die.”

By morning she had worsened. Doctors told her mum that Hannah needed to be transferred to intensive care – and that she might not survive the journey.

Fighting for life

“I don’t remember much after that,” Hannah says. “They tried different treatments, but I wasn’t tolerating them well.”

Soon, she was placed on a ventilator and put into an induced coma. During that time, King’s College Hospital’s Critical Care team became involved and transferred her to King’s.

Hannah spent 11 days in a coma while doctors fought to stabilise her.

The infection had spread to her heart. While still in the coma, Hannah underwent emergency open-heart surgery.

She doesn’t remember much, but she remembers hallucinations during her time in Critical Care. “Nothing made sense.”

Another setback

Ten days after surgery, Hannah went into cardiac arrest.

“I remember thinking, I don’t feel well, and then I woke up surrounded by people. They said, ‘Hannah, we’ve just brought you back to life.’ I just cried. I was terrified.”

For two months, Hannah remained in hospital under close monitoring. 

Later, she was diagnosed with heart failure and required a pacemaker. “I don’t have my own heartbeat anymore. It’s scary, but it saved my life.”

Care that felt like family

When asked about the care she received at King’s, Hannah’s face lights up.

“The nurses were so lovely, friendly, and had such good humour. They made me feel really safe,” she says. “Although it was confusing in Critical Care, they made everything feel calmer.”

She spent so long at King’s that the staff began to feel like family.

“Everyone stopped to say hello. I even had my 30th birthday there – they got me a cake and sang to me. It was so lovely.”

Hannah still remembers the junior doctor who saved her life. “I found a photo of her online and keep it on my phone – she made that much of an impact on me. I can never thank her enough.”

She also recalls how the staff helped her manage her fears. “After my cardiac arrest, alarms really triggered me. One of the ward managers would come over, hold my hand, and calm me down. They really cared.”

Why nature and light matter

Hannah believes having access to natural light and outdoor spaces could make a huge difference for patients.

 “I love the idea of the outdoor Critical Care Unit,” she says. “Just some fresh air, some natural light, would help you feel human again.”

During her two months at King’s, she only got outside in her final week. “If the Unit had been there, I couldn’t have used it all the time, but even seeing it or sitting there would’ve been soothing.”

“Without King’s, I wouldn’t be here”

“Because of King’s, I got to see my sister get married, I was able to walk down the aisle, and now I’m an auntie to an amazing little girl,” Hannah says. “I still get goosebumps thinking about it.”

Her message to supporters is clear:

“Without King’s, I wouldn’t be here. The CCU is where people fight for their lives – please, if you can, support it. The care and the people there are just incredible.”