Sam on ECMO April 2012

Sam September 2012

ECMO family support was set up to support ECMO patients and the families of ECMO patients during and after their time on ECMO at Wythenshawe Hospital (UHSM)

Sam’s Story

Sam was an extremely fit 44 year old father of two boys when, in April 2012, he very suddenly became critically ill with pneumonia.

His condition rapidly deteriorated and, within 48 hours of being admitted to hospital, his family were told that he may not survive the night.

His life was saved by the amazing work of the ECMO team at UHSM.

Following his recovery, Sam and his family were determined to lessen the trauma of the ECMO experience, by offering support and information to the people who came after them. We work in partnership with the ECMO team at UHSM, but we are not medics, qualified counsellors or part of the hospital.  However, we do know what being an ECMO patient or relative is like, because it happened to us too.

Use the contact form on this site to get in touch for support, to share your story or to get involved. We aim to respond to every message within 12 hours, but usually it will be within an hour.