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Rehab gym opens at Southend Hospital to help amputees

A VETERAN fundraiser was joined by a survivor of the 7/7 terrorist attacks at the opening of a new rehabilitation suite in Southend Hospitalfor patients who have lost limbs.

Joyce Long, 81, from Thundersley, who helped raise £4,000 towards the equipment costs, officially launched the gym which is intended to help amputees regain movement.

Disabled rights champion Dan Biddle, 31, who lost both his legs in the 2005 Edgware Road Tube bombing, is the hospital's disability adviser and was also present.

He spent a year in hospital recovering from horrific injuries, during which time he suffered several cardiac arrests, underwent multiple operations and his family was told several times he would not pull through.

He is now helping ensure the new gym and the rest of the hospital is fully accessible for wheelchair users, people using crutches and even mums with pushchairs.

Meanwhile, Mrs Long has raised more than £1.5million for the hospital during the past 25 years, mainly from garden sales.

Paying tribute at the launch Mike Salter, clinical director of general and plastic surgery, said: "We thank this lovely lady for the support she has given us and to Southend Hospital.

"The suite gives our patients the space to exercise. It is open five days a week and offers one-to-one sessions, which enables us to get patients moving earlier."

The £4,000-worth of equipment at the suite includes a special couch, foldaway parallel bars, and run of steps to help patients tackle stairs.