A brave double lung transplant patient from Sutton Coldfield is getting back in the saddle as she attempts to trek over 230 kilometres of Iceland’s terrain on horseback, to raise money for the hospital that saved her.

Kayleigh Murphy, a 28 year old living in Lichfield, has always loved animals, and runs her own pet services business. In 2016 her life was thrown upside down when she was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) for a double lung transplant, after experiencing a severe decline in her health.

She said: "I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when I was just 16 months old, and spent most of my life in and out of hospital. My lung function and general health really started to decline two years ago, in 2015. Breathing became even harder than normal, I needed an oxygen tank to walk and I was extremely underweight.”

On 14 February 2016, Kayleigh underwent a double lung transplant at QEHB. She said: “I never let my illness impact on my life until the run up to ‘the call’. I worked for as long as I could as it gave me something to focus on, but in September 2015 I had to stop working. It became impossible for me to care for animals with an oxygen tank strapped to my back.”

The operation was a huge success, and saw Kayleigh, with support from Physiotherapists, walking again within just seven days. Now, keen to pursue her love of animals and lifetime passion of riding horses, Kayleigh is getting ready to take to the saddle as she treks across Iceland on horseback to raise money for a new ‘home away from home’ for the families of patients who are undergoing transplants at the hospital.

She said: “I travelled to QEHB from Lichfield but many patients and families travel much further. This becomes an added stress, especially when factoring in accommodation costs, as patients can sometimes be in hospital for weeks or even months at a time. Undergoing a transplant is a very stressful time for everyone involved, so being able to stay close by to loved ones would make a huge difference in helping to take some of that stress away.”

QEHB Charity is raising £180,000 to bring a ‘home away from home’ nearby to the hospital, for the families of transplant patients to stay in as their loved ones are treated at QEHB.

Sophie Carroll, Fundraising Officer at QEHB Charity, said: “QEHB has the largest solid organ transplantation programme in Europe and treats patients from across the country. Visiting a loved one can be a stressful time, and this is heightened for patients who are travelling long distances, often during early hours of the morning or late at night. That’s why we want to make what is a very difficult time for families and their loved ones that little bit easier, by providing free accommodation nearby to the hospital.”

Kayleigh added: “I’m doing this challenge to raise money for the brilliant hospital that saved my life, as well as to help other families who are going through similar experiences. I also want to complete the challenge to honour my donor. Without my donor and her family I wouldn’t be here today, and I hope I’m making all of them proud. I made a promise to make each day count and to make the most of the gift I have been given.” 

Kayleigh is also raising money throughout the year by hosting a range of events including cake sales and a 1920s themed evening, taking place in March 2018. To sponsor her fundraising, please click here. 

If you’d like more information about the Home away from Home appeal , please click here or call 0121 371 4852.

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