Allison Friday Quad-Amputee Recover Rebuild Renew

My name is Sam Barwell and I'm hoping to use the superpowers of Social Media to not only raise funds to help my auntie Allison, but to raise awareness of her journey, the people involved & also the hurdles which still await us as a family.

For most of us 2020 will be the year that tested us beyond our limits, while we were experiencing  lockdowns and dealing with distance from our families, friends and living an alternate reality, my Auntie was oblivious to this as she was on her own unique journey.....we went from having girls movie nights with blankets and chocolates, to writing cards of well wishes and praying for a miracle.

As a result of Sepsis Allison became a Quad-amputee, losing both arms below the elbow and both legs beneath the knee. As a young woman I could not imagine how I would feel in this position & it really got me thinking about how auntie Allison would be able to be a new version of herself. Over the last year she has fought tirelessly to recover, adapt and rebuild her life and is determined not to let this life changing situation rob her of her independence! Those of you who have the pleasure of knowing her will know exactly just how independent she was and is! Unfortunately,  even with the strongest will in the world, this can only be achieved with the help of specialist equipment and adaptations.

An Unexpected Journey:
On the 1st of February 2020 Allison was rushed to A&E with suspected Meningitis. She had gone to bed the night before feeling cold and weak and thought it was the last of a particularly awful flu she and many others had in late January. After being unable to get herself out of bed and noticing a rash on her arms and legs, she rang my Uncle David at work. He rushed home and within an hour she was hospitalised.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly and  just a couple of hours later uncle David was advised to gather loved ones as it was feared Allison wouldn't survive the night. Meningococcal Septicaemia had caused Sepsis and in turn, her body was going into multi organ failure.  The only option left was to place Allison into a coma.
Allison was involved in those discussions throughout and, incredibly, only agreed to do so once she and David had spoken to the their kids and explained why it needed to be done!

Allison was placed into a coma but was still given only a 5% chance of survival. She hung on in there and over the next 20 or so days while her body was shut down, circulation  to her extremities was restricted. As a result her hands, feet and even nose effectively “died”. 

Once her major organs had recovered sufficiently, Allison was transferred to James Cook University Hospital for life saving amputations. This was done in the middle of a global pandemic, where Covid wards were popping up at a rate of knots & we were in a full lockdown and experiencing furlough. Her amputations literally cost her her arms in late March, then her legs in early April.

Allison's physical recovery since then has been long and hard, hampered by the effect Covid had on many hospital services. Add to that the emotional hardship of going through such immense change while being isolated from loved ones and you start to appreciate what an absolute fighter she is! While we took our super fast broadband for granted with Zoom quizzes, interior decorating and online bingo, Allison was bed bound with the company of some amazing nurses who were already over capacity and ran ragged. Her only family contact via FaceTime with a place laid out at the Dinner table each night and Allison on an iPad screen.

In November an amazing opportunity arose for Allison to be transferred to a rehabilitation unit in London and, with the help of a fantastic team of specialists, she has been learning to use her long awaited prosthetics. While being away from home was difficult for us all, we knew this was the best place for her to be. So in true Allison style, she took on the challenge and pushed her own boundaries by chartering her progress throughout via a personal blog http://iomwbh.blogspot.com/2021/03/day-112-118-march-6-



After nearly 15 months in hospital, surviving a global pandemic, a coma and countless other issues, we are so happy to have aunty Allison home. However with this elation comes the reason for my appeal. With costs of almost twenty thousand pounds needed to adapt their home so that Allison regain only a fraction of her independence, we are finding that we still need much more specialist equipment. Items we would usually take advantage of such as kettles & cutlery are now a safety hazard, and we need to provide for new tools to help re develop the skills sat dormant and ready to come out! Being able to leave the house and eat our would require a travel friendly wheelchair and (with everything crossed) even a Bionic arm. These alone can cost anywhere from £15,000 upwards!
Openbionics Hero arm 
Truelimb 

At the time she was taken ill, Allison was in the last three weeks of employment before leaving to join a new company.  Unfortunately as she had not yet started that job and was in no position to do so, she became effectively unemployed overnight. Allison was mortified when we first suggested we try crowdfunding to assist despite the fact that she would normally be the first to help out others.

I'm asking  you to help in whatever way you can to support in Allison's journey back to independence, whether it be with an individual donation, an organised fundraising event or even via a corporate donation or social fund. Our family motto is that this has already cost Allison an arm and a leg (two in fact) but we don't want it to cost you! I know this year has been difficult for all, but whether your contribution is a penny, a pound or a share of this link, I can honestly say you will make a difference.

So with that in mind all I ask is if you would please share Allison's story as far as you possibly can. Her spirit and determination to Recover, Rebuild and Renew her life is inspirational and I  know that when she is in a position to do so, she and all of our family will do everything possible to pay your generosity forward for the benefit of others facing a situation similar to hers.

Love Sam