Published 2 September 2022
A new dialysis machine has been donated to Buckland Hospital, in memory of a former patient.
Friends of Valerie Blankhart, who had regular treatments in the Dover hospital’s renal satellite unit, raised £6,000 to pay for the machine.
Animal-lover Valerie died in 2020 and the money was raised from selling items from the flat she shared with her beloved white Persian cats, parrots, and budgies.
Friend Adeline Reidy, who met Valerie through the Dover Ladies Luncheon Club, said: “Valerie would have been delighted to know other patients will benefit from the money we raised.
“She was a very bubbly person, very glamorous, and with a real zest for life.
“You would never know she had health problems; she just got on with things. To her, life was one big party and she was determined to enjoy it as much as she could, for as long as she could.”
Although she had no immediate family, Valerie had many friends and several of them worked together to raise the money for East Kent Hospitals Charity, which funded the machine. Irene Mantle acted as treasurer for the group to collect the money and hand it to the charity.
The new machine was unveiled at the hospital last week with dialysis matron Helen Swanborough and unit manager Dominic Modley.
Dee Neligan, senior projects officer for East Kent Hospitals Charity, said: “The machine will make a real difference to many patients’ lives and is a fitting tribute to Valerie, who is clearly very much missed by her many friends.
“We are very grateful to Adeline and everyone else who was involved in raising this money.
“I am sure Valerie would have been honoured to be remembered in this way.”
For more information on how to raise money for East Kent Hospitals Charity, visit https://www.ekhcharity.org.uk/
