Young artists take to the stage for lung transplant patients at QEHB
Two years ago, Paul Kavanagh received a life-saving double lung transplant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham after he was rushed into hospital when his lungs were unable to sustain on their own.
Since his transplant, Paul has held charity events to raise money for the hospital that saved his life.
This year, Paul is hosting another event with local young creatives on the stage. The show, called Exhale, is being held at the Artrix Theatre in Bromsgrove and will be a mixture of music, dance and musical theatre, including Paul’s son’s band, Media Blackout.
In 2018, Paul hosted another of these events at Hopwood Village Community Hall where they raised and incredible £1,500 for the lung transplant department at QEHB.
Talking about the show, Paul said: “We see Exhale as a way Media Blackout, SJP Theatre Arts, my family, friends and local community can say thank you and also to help further research in this field.
“It’s set to be a great evening and we really have put everything into making this as close to a professional show as possible.”
Before the operation, Paul was a music teacher and worked with young people. His son, Toby, is in the headlining band Media Blackout and the event has allowed him to spend more time with him. For the first show, they worked alongside Music Academy Midlands, and this time they are working with SJP Theatre Arts to put on an even bigger show.
Paul said: “Recovery from the operation was tough, I was in hospital for five and a half months on Ward 306, they’re more like family now. The care has been second to none between the teams.
“The staff provided everything we needed as a unit for me to recover and still be here to take part in things such as this show. It’s truly amazing the level of dedication the teams have to their patients.”
The event is taking place on Wednesday 26 June at the Artrix in Bromsgrove, if you would like to buy tickets and support Paul and everyone involved, you can get your tickets at artrix.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/exhale-media-blackout-sjp-theatre-arts.
To find out more about transplants at QEHB and how you can get involved by creating your own fundraising event like Paul, please click here.
