Jackie’s Story: “They saved my life – and I’ll be forever thankful”

When Jackie returned home from a dream trip across the United States in 2022, she couldn’t have imagined that just a week later she would be fighting for her life in King’s College Hospital’s Critical Care Unit (CCU).

“I’d just come back from a fantastic road trip,” Jackie says. “We had a lovely time.” 

But soon, everything changed.

Jackie began to feel unwell, struggled to breathe, and things rapidly declined from there. She was transferred to King’s, where the severity of her situation became clear. 

A fight for life

Jackie was placed in an induced coma on the King’s CCU. She had respiratory failure, pneumonia, sepsis, and a blood clot in her leg. “I don't really remember much,” she says. “Towards the end of my time in CCU, I remember my brother coming to see me, and my best friend. But I was in and out of consciousness.”

“When I woke up one day after a month of being there, I still thought it was the same weekend as when I went in. But King’s had spent a month saving my life, and getting me better again.”

“They saved my life”

“The care – well, what can I say? They saved my life. I’ll be forever thankful for that,” Jackie says.

She remembers how the CCU team kept in touch even after she’d moved to another ward. “A lot of them used to come down and see how you’re progressing. It makes a big difference – they don’t just hand you over and move on. They follow up your care from the start right through to when you leave.”

Her family were supported too. “They were really good to my husband and my children,” she says. “That meant the world.”

How nature brings hope

Now, as Jackie reflects on her experience, she believes that access to nature can make a powerful difference to patients’ recovery – and that’s why she’s a big advocate for the Outdoor Critical Care Unit funded by the Charity.

Designed as a healing sanctuary high above the city, the space will feature natural planting, a wildflower meadow, and tranquil spaces that support both physical and emotional rehabilitation.

“When I was in the CCU, I was by a window so I could see outside – trees, bushes, the sunshine, the rain. That made a huge difference,” she says.

“Just sitting in a wheelchair, your hospital bed, or if you’re able to walk, being outdoors would make a great deal of difference. You’ve got the sun, the wind through the trees – it’s calm and relaxing.

“If you have lavender, it can relax people. Or plants that mean something to them, that jog a memory, or even just the noise of being outside. You get that sense of recovery.”

She also believes the new Unit will help families too. “Somewhere they can sit and talk, not just within their own family but with other families – that may help with people’s recovery, because they’ve still got to recover, too.”

“Give as much as you possibly can”

When asked what she’d say to people thinking of supporting King’s this Christmas, Jackie doesn’t hesitate: “Give as much as you possibly can. I know in this day and age it’s difficult. But they help to save lives, and since I’ve been in there, I’ve got a different outlook on life. It helps you put things into perspective,” she says.

“God forbid that anyone reading this ever has to go through this with their loved ones – but if they do, they’ll be in the best possible hands.”

“This is Jackie 2.0"

Two years on, Jackie calls herself “Jackie 2.0” – a new version of herself: grateful, stronger, and determined to make the most of life.

“I know I won’t be the same. I won’t be the same Jackie as before. So this is Jackie 2.0 – a new Jackie,” she says.