Family's fundraiser thanking staff for saving mum's life

The family of a mother given just hours to live are holding a fundraising evening to thank the UHNM staff who saved her life.

Annetta Whiston, 54, from Dresden, was diagnosed with sepsis, lung and kidney failure and pneumonia and placed in a coma six days before Christmas last year.

But after staff feared she wouldn’t make it through the night, Annetta defied the odds and woke up from her coma after 17 days.

Speaking to SoT Live, Daughter Sophie said: “She had the flu and low oxygen levels for about a week before she went into Royal Stoke where she was put into an induced coma and taken to the Critical Care Unit. They found out she had sepsis which caused kidney failure."

"She had pneumonia, lung failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. On top of that because she was so poorly she developed diabetic ketoacidosis- a life-threatening condition that happens when your body doesn’t have enough insulin to allow blood sugars to get into your cells.”

"We were told that night that she might not make it through. However, she did make it through but the next day had very low blood pressure. She was also placed on a dialysis machine with kidney failure. At this point, we were taking everything hour by hour.

"She had a CT scan and they found an air pocket outside the lungs. She had to have a tracheostomy because she was at risk of pneumonia. There was a fungal infection in her blood stream that went into her lungs. We were told again that she was not going to make it. However, she pulled through."

“They care care we received on the Unit was absolutely amazing. The level off compassion they showed us whilst we were down there was unbelievable. And they really did help to save my mums life.”

“They’re an amazing bunch of doctors and nurses, and we want to give something back to the Unit in the hope it can help and save others.”

The event in aid of our Critical Care Unit takes places at The John Marston pub on Longton Road on Saturday 29 April and features live entertainment, a tombola and bouncy castle.