Rufus' Story: Leaving a Gift in Your Will

A donation in your Will can fund the research that will help discover better treatments, better care and, ultimately, cures.

"Leeds Children’s Hospital gave our family hope.”  - Ben, Rufus’ dad

When Rufus was born with cystic fibrosis, it was the specialist staff at Leeds Children’s Hospital who got him back home with his family. Will you help to keep more families together by remembering Leeds Hospitals Charity in your Will?

READ MORE: Leave a Gift to Leeds Hospitals in your Will

You’d never guess just how much baby Rufus has been through in his seven months of life.

Even before he was born, Rufus was unwell. At his mum’s 34-week scan, a blockage was detected in his bowel. And just minutes after entering the world, he was taken off for scans. It was cystic fibrosis, and the blockage needed to be removed. Urgently.

At just 30-hours old, Rufus underwent a five-hour operation to save his life.

Thankfully, all went well and the signs were positive…until Rufus got sepsis. His temperature soared, along with his heartbeat, and he needed round-the-clock breathing support for five days.

Ben recalls seeing Rufus’ pulse escalate from 180 to 320 beats per minute. He says, “‘I've never seen four doctors move into a room as quickly. It was such a frightening and traumatic time." 

But the cystic fibrosis team pulled together to get Rufus stable enough to go home.

Rufus with his parents and brother Henry after his treatment at Leeds Children

And since last October, Rufus has been doing well, back with his mum, dad, and big brother Henry.

Thinking about the support the family received, Ben says: “It was interesting to find out that some of the cystic fibrosis support was made possible thanks to someone’s Will. We'd have been lost without that team during his stay (and after!).”

You too can help a local family like Rufus’ in their hour of greatest need. By remembering Leeds Hospitals Charity in your Will, you could fund researchers in their search for life-changing treatments for cystic fibrosis or help to upgrade crucial equipment and hospital rooms.

Together, we can go above and beyond the care and support that our local NHS service offers.

READ MORE: Cure for cystic fibrosis could be “possible within ten years”

Leave a gift in your Will to support patients like Rufus today

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