West Middlesex patient shares story in CW+ Christmas appeal

Image: Linda with staff at West Middlesex Hospital celebrating her all clear

After surviving three cancer diagnoses over ten years, Linda is encouraging people to support the hospital charity that helps make treatment more bearable

The official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has unveiled its festive fundraising campaign, featuring a testimonial from a West Middlesex University Hospital patient whose life was transformed by the care she received.

Linda, twice diagnosed with breast cancer and once with uterine cancer during the past decade, has recorded a video message describing her experience with hospital staff. Her account forms the centrepiece of CW+’s Christmas appeal, which aims to raise funds for projects that improve the hospital experience for both patients and the NHS teams who care for them.

“Throughout my treatment and recovery, the staff were simply remarkable,” Linda says in the video. “They didn’t just do their jobs – they carried me, with warmth and humanity, through an incredibly difficult time.”

The Christmas appeal will fund several initiatives at West Middlesex University Hospital that are designed to make time spent in hospital less daunting. Money raised will contribute to equipping the recently established Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre with advanced medical technology and thoughtful design features that put patients at ease.

Other projects include bringing live musicians onto wards to create moments of respite, organising creative workshops for patients recovering from illness, and installing artwork throughout clinical areas to make them feel less institutional. The charity also recognises the pressures facing NHS staff, with plans to create comfortable spaces where they can properly rest between shifts.

Sarah McCullough, who leads fundraising at CW+, said Linda’s willingness to share her personal experience demonstrates precisely why the appeal is so important. The ability to enhance hospital environments and support staff wellbeing relies entirely on donations from the public, she explained.

McCullough noted that contributions of any size will help the charity continue its work throughout the coming year, not just during the festive period. The goal is to ensure that the thousands of patients who pass through West Mid receive care in surroundings that promote healing and dignity, while staff have access to the resources they need to continue providing exceptional treatment.

Linda’s full story can be viewed on the CW+ website, where people can also make donations to the Christmas appeal. The charity hopes her message will resonate with local residents who understand the value of their community hospital and want to help make it the best possible place to receive care.

To watch Linda’s video and support the appeal, visit: www.cwplus.org.uk/appeals/christmas-appeal-2025

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