Stephen Hawking’s family has decided to donate the late physicist’s personal ventilators to the Royal Papworth Hospital to help the fight against the novel coronavirus. It was at this hospital that Hawking received medical attention before he passed away in 2018 at the age of 76.
According to Stephen’s daughter Lucy Hawking, the Royal Papworth Hospital was quite literally what allowed her father to live on. Thinking that they needed all the help they could get, she said she contacted the hospital to see if there was anything she and her family can do to help.
As the United Kingdom continues its battles with Covid-19, the Royal Papworth Hospital has also doubled its critical care department to handle all the patients with the novel coronavirus.
Although they had received additional equipments from the National Health Service, the hospital staff graciously accepted the offerings from the Hawking family. Dr. Mike Davies from the hospital commented that it was great to hear from the Hawking family again and expressed his gratitude for their charitable actions.
Hawking had personally purchased the ventilator in 2013 and used it until his death.
The family had been keeping the ventilator because they thought it also constitutes a big part of Dr. Hawking’s life. However, they were more than willing to donate it for a good cause, knowing full well the difficulties that healthcare workers are going through these days.
In addition to the ventilator, the Hawking family also donated six large bags worth of medical equipments. According to Lucy Hawking, they went through all the shelves and cupboards for anything that may be of use to the hospital.
She added that the staff at Royal Papworth Hospital formed a close and personal relationship with both her father and everyone else in the Hawking family. For her family, the NHS was a big part in their lives and they respect all workers who are putting their lives at risk for others.
She ended by saying that everyone should do what they can to relieve some work from the shoulders of the doctors and nurses. Whether that be strictly following social distancing measures or donating what you can, Ms. Hawking called for everyone to do their bit.
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Replaced!