Josh Hippely had cystic fibrosis and was treated on the NHS at the Brompton Hospital in Chelsea for 18 years. During that time he stayed on Foulis Ward as an inpatient for up to two weeks at a time, where he was treated with kindness, respect and dignity while receiving first class medical care from an efficient, compassionate and upbeat team. Josh died age 46, due to complications related to his illness, at the Brompton Hospital on 5th January 2019.

We are having a celebration of his life rather than a funeral, so there will be no flowers and we wanted to ask those who would like to help to contribute instead to a fundraiser for Foulis Ward at the Brompton.

We asked the staff what they would like and they said we should fundraise for something to help raise the comfort of the patients staying on the ward. Patients with cystic fibrosis cannot mix with each other due to the problems of cross infection, so must stay in single rooms on the wards. This means they have a space of their own, but it also means they do not have the company of other patients. While it may seem like an unusual thing to be raising money for, it was suggested that we could fundraise towards purchasing new televisions for some of the 20+ individual rooms on the ward.

Those of us who are mobile and healthy may even see screen time as a negative thing, but for those spending long periods of time in hospital, television is not just entertainment but can be a distraction from their illness and a window onto the world outside.

We think this is a wonderful chance to do ‘a good deed in a weary world’. Your contribution- however big or small- will go directly to Foulis and be used for this purpose. Please donate to this fundraiser in Josh’s name if you feel able. Josh Hippely