Eastbourne man’s plea as kidney operation is cancelled twice

Forty-six-year-old Michael Rundle’s procedure has been cancelled twice due to the extreme pressure Eastbourne District General Hospital is under due to the virus.

Mr Rundle, a teacher whose kidney problem started with stones, said, “I need an intensive care unit bed for my procedure but they are all taken currently by Covid patients. It’s hard to put into words how hard it has been having these operations cancelled. Despite being on pain killers I’m still in serious pain every day and an operation date represents hope that this pain will go away.

“The administrator who called me the second time it was cancelled was very frustrated and you can tell they are doing everything they possibly can. So currently I am waiting to find out when a third date will be proposed. I am lucky I have such a wonderful family who look out for me. The extra care they take every day is literally keeping me alive.”

Mr Rundle said people should follow the restrictions so ITU beds could be freed up.

He said, “I feel awful for the pressure that has been placed on our NHS. Seeing reports of their current working conditions, it’s hard to imagine what they are going through. I think some of that pressure was avoidable had our government acted more decisively, more quickly, and more coherently.

“When I see those figures of how many people have lost their lives in the UK from this virus I feel a deep and profound sense of shame. I think we all need to remind ourselves, they were not numbers, they were people.”