Sheffield student raises £3,000 for city surgeons who saved his life

Joel Kiernan, from Essex, tripped and fell over a skateboard at his student flat in Broomhall in February this year, going headfirst through a glass door and severing a major artery in his arm.

After emergency first aid was administered by Joel’s quick-thinking friends, the 21-year-old was rushed to Northern General Hospital where surgeons were thankfully able to save his life.

Because he lost so much blood in the accident, Joel can no longer be a donor, but decided instead to raise money for the Sheffield Hospitals Charity by completing an ‘Everest in England’ challenge.

The accountancy and finance undergraduate started his challenge on Brea Hill in Cornwall on August 15 and finished it on Scafell Pike in the Lake District last Wednesday, climbing the 29,000ft height of Everest in the process and raising more than £3,000.

He said: “Following my accident, I was told by various nurses that they had never seen somebody lose so much blood and survive, but due to having had such a large transfusion, I will never be able to donate blood in my lifetime.

“That is yet another debt I will never be able to repay but the sheer amount of gratitude I hold for all of the staff involved simply cannot be expressed through words.”

Joel’s mum, Deborah Kiernan, said getting the call in the middle of the night that her son had been seriously hurt at university was every parent’s worst nightmare.

She paid tribute both to the staff at Northern General Hospital who saved Joel’s life and the people of Sheffield for helping her family in their hour of need.

“Joel is a remarkable young man who we came close to losing,” she said.

“We will forever be in debt to both the Northern General Hospital staff and the people of Sheffield who showed us so much kindness when we were going through the trauma.”

To find or more about Joel’s challenge or donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joel-kiernan-everestengland.

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