Adele was diagnosed with late-onset asthma in March – she had been suffering from a cough for five months and started to feel very poorly. She went to her GP and was given steroids, antibiotics and an inhaler.

But a few days later, Adele was struggling and started to feel more unwell due to a flu-like illness. She went to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and was admitted to the Resus.

After this, Adele’s doesn’t remember anything and her care, until she woke up in Royal Brompton’s Adult Intensive Care Unit (AICU) twelve days later.

Royal Brompton’s ECMO team had retrieved Adele from Wales, bringing her back to London where she was on ECMO for five days and ventilated for another seven – saving her life.

Following a short stay at the Royal Glamorgan, Adele returned home on 5 April. She says, “I am much better physically and have started to exercise which I couldn’t do the last few years. ECMO saved my life.”

Adele and family (pictured right) are planning a fundraising event to say thank you to Royal Brompton and her son-in-law Michael will be taking on an Iron Man in aid of our Charity. 

Michael and Adele's daughter Sam are getting married in April 2020 and Adele says, "I am very grateful to be an ongoing part of the planning. It could have been so different if it wasn't for the staff at Royal Brompton. I owe the AICU team and ECMO so much.”

Our Charity has recently embarked on an appeal to fundraise for more ECMO units so our hospital can reach and treat more people like Adele. To find out more about our #MoreTimeMoreLives Appeal, please click here.