A Covid patient donates the machine that saved his life

The Son Espases University Hospital has received the donation of ECMO (extracorporeal life support) equipment from Larry Ebanksa 58-year-old patient who was admitted to the ICU in December 2021 and was connected for 82 days to this technologyafter suffering severe bilateral pneumonia due to Covid-19.

As explained by the hospital in a statement, the new team, a CARDIOHELP-i from the Maquet brand (GETINGE), will improve the care of critically ill patientsincluding pediatrics, and has been acquired thanks to a fundraising campaign promoted by Ebanks himself, together with the JoyRon Foundation.

The presentation event, held in the Domum Room of the hospital, was attended by the managing director, Cristina Granadoswho has publicly thanked the donor for the gesture.

Larrick Ebanks has shared his experience as a patient and explained how, after overcoming the disease, decided to promote this solidarity initiative as a sign of gratitude to the medical team that treated him.

After being discharged from the ICU in April 2022 and transferred to the Pulmonology ward, he contacted the hospital management to express his desire to donate ECMO equipment.

The JoyRon Foundationdedicated to supporting pediatric patients and which has previously worked with the hospital, joined the initiative and channeled the donation, requesting equipment compatible with the pediatric population.

The administrative management of the donation was facilitated by the Balearic Islands Health Research Institute Foundation (IdISBa)since the device not only brings improvements at the healthcare level, but also at the Hospital’s innovation and research level, in research projects to improve healthcare.

The total cost of the equipment has been 78,650 eurosof which 48,450 have been contributed by the JoyRon Foundation, while the rest has been covered by the hospital with funds from research projects. The new ECMO is now in operation and has a plate with the inscription: “The Larrick ECMO”, in tribute to the patient who wanted to transform his experience into an opportunity for others.

The Son Espases intensivists, responsible for the ECMO teams, both the doctor José Raúl Arévalo like the doctor Maria Teresa Millanhave explained that an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) is an advanced medical technology that is used in critical situations when a patient’s heart and/or lungs cannot function properly on their own.

The system removes blood from the bodyartificially oxygenates it and returns it to the body, allowing these organs to rest and recover. It is a life-sustaining therapy that can be decisive in cases of severe respiratory or cardiac failure, such as in patients with severe pneumonia, cardiogenic shock, or during certain complex surgeries. Its use requires a highly specialized multidisciplinary team and is reserved for situations in which other conventional measures have failed.

To conclude the presentation ceremony,Ronald M. Hawesrepresentative of the JoyRon Foundation, who has highlighted the importance of collaboration between patients, social entities and health professionals to improve the quality of care.