The family and friends of a young man who sadly died following a road accident 25 years ago have dedicated themselves to supporting good causes in his name. Ada and Frank Hutchinson, who lost their son, Gary, in 1992, made the most recent donation to the intensive treatment unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital, where Gary sadly spent his final days. They visited the unit to present a cheque for £900. Mrs Hutchinson, said, “We’ve raised over £100K for all kinds of causes over the years and couldn’t have done this without support of many of Gary’s friends. He would have been 50 a few weeks ago and his friends held a party in his honour at which donations were made. “Gary received excellent care at Darlington Memorial Hospital and the nurses are wonderful but even after all these years it’s still difficult coming back.
They say loss gets easier over time but, unfortunately, we haven’t found that to be the case. We’re lucky enough to also have two daughters, Claire and Lisa and two lovely grandchildren.” Diane Cruickshank, ITU manager, said, “I was incredibly moved to hear about the fundraising Gary’s family and friends have done in his name for the past 25 years. His parents wanted to deliver their donation themselves and were amazed at the changes in ITU. In 1992 we were a four-bedded unit and Frank and Ada commented on how much bigger and brighter it is – we have 12 beds now. “ITU patients can become quite isolated from the outside world and this very generous donation will help us provide an iPad for each of our ITU beds so patients and their loved ones can use the internet or perhaps watch a favourite TV programme or film.”
