Below is a selection of just a few of the people we have been able to help through our subsidy and grants programmes.
- A 26 year old in the Light Dragoons suffering from a painful salivary gland blockage was told that he would have been 'medically downgraded' and prevented from joining his comrades on tour in Afghanistan unless he received prompt treatment. He heard that the Hospital's grants could cover 100% of his Hospital fees, which after assessing his case we were able to provide. He was treated quickly, safely and comfortably and consequently ready to continue with his professional duties. Not only did the procedure itself only take 50 minutes in theatre, but less than a month after he had submitted his application for a grant, he was fit and healthy again, preparing mentally and physically for his imminent tour to Afghanistan.
The wife of an RAF Sergeant received a grant towards a much needed knee replacement at Sister Agnes. Caring for her dependant husband meant that mobility was of the utmost importance to her. She told us that her experience in the Hospital was "outstanding in every possible way" and commented on the "wonderful staff" here. When we asked her about the implications of her treatment she told us "it enabled me to look after my home and husband and lead a more active life. [This would have been] impossible without the grant...I cannot speak highly enough of the kindness and consideration I received from everyone."
- A serving Wing Commander Officer in the Royal Air Force was the first patient to be referred to the Hospital under a new arrangement with the MOD. He was provided with a six-week intensive physiotherapy rehabilitation programme following spinal decompression at Frimley Park Hospital. On completion of the programme, he said: "The treatment I received at Sister Agnes has helped me both physically and mentally. Physically it's helped me to bend and stretch with more ease, I see tangible improvements every week. Mentally, the pool has removed the fear of pushing myself too far or not enough." He further reflected: "The staff at Sister Agnes have been superb... very quickly becoming used to the spirit of jovial rivalry that exists between the forces." As a result of this treatment, he was fit to return to frontline duty early in 2009, "...like any other professional, whether it be an accountant or a member of the Armed Forces, I want to be fit to do the job I am trained to do."
- At the end of last year we treated a young female Major in the Royal Artillery who has already seen two tours of duty in Iraq, the second in 2004, when Saddam Hussein was captured. After suffering a recreational knee injury, she needed physiotherapy. When asked about the treatment she was receiving she said "This will be a really good way of preparing myself - and my knees - for (subsequent) rehabilitation... (The hydrotherapy pool) rates pretty highly. It's the nicest pool I've been in. The warmest military pool certainly!" By working in tandem with the military medical provisions, the physiotherapy team at Sister Agnes were able to put her rapidly on the road to recovery so that she could continue with her professional duties.
