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Breathe Easy Founder leaves last legacy to Hospital

A Wrawby mother and wife who recently passed away has left her final donation to Scunthorpe General Hospital.

Anne Rickell, who was diagnosed with asthma when she was four years old, had been a patient at the hospital since 2000 when she moved to the Wrawby area.

It was while in hospital that she met fellow patient Brenda Frear, and along with other patients including Jenny Twidle and Bernadette Douglas-Jacklin decided to set up a support group for people with respiratory disease and formed the Breathe Easy branch of the British Lung Foundation for Scunthorpe.

The branch held support groups and raised money for people with chronic respiratory problems in the local area, raising thousands of pounds for Scunthorpe General Hospital and the British Lung Foundation.

Carol Allen, friend and fellow member of Breathe Easy Scunthorpe, said: “Anne would do anything to raise funds, she was a fantastic knitter and was always looking for opportunities to raise more money.”

The group regularly had stalls at Scunthorpe General Hospital, as well as standing at fairs in the local area including Brigg, Broughton, West Butterwick and Appleby.

Lead Respiratory/TB specialist nurse Andrea Gough said: “Anne was so passionate about improving things for patients. She got involved with giving feedback to the trust whenever she could as a patient representative. She was unstoppable, even if she was feeling poorly she would still come in and keep pushing things forward.”

The money donated from her funeral collection will go towards buying an iPad for the respiratory nurses to show patients a video on the dangers of smoking in the home with oxygen.

Anne’s daughter, Julie Dunderdale said: “My mum was very passionate about stopping people smoking who suffered with asthma, this is a great legacy for her to leave behind. She would be proud to help just one person never mind the hundreds that will see this video.”

Breathe Easy Scunthorpe disbanded 18 months ago but a support group called ‘Friends United’ still meets and would welcome new members. The group meets on the first Monday of each month at Silica Lodge Garden Centre from 2pm until 4pm. Anyone who would like more information can contact Carol Allen on 07950 590864.

Anne Rickell died at Scunthorpe General Hospital on September 22 2015.

Anne’s husband Frank said: “When she was in her teens they told her she would never work, she’d never have kids and she’d never get married. Well because they told her she couldn’t, she did them all. We were married for 54 years and she was a wonderful woman.”

Andrea Gough added: “She was such a character, everyone knew who she was. She was inspiring to us as nurses as she never gave up and made us want to work harder and do better all the time. She was the first patient I nursed when I started working as a respiratory nurse at Scunthorpe and her passing has left a big void, she’s missed so much by everyone.”

 

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