Christine Birch has made a generous donation in memory of her husband, Eric, thanking the hospital teams who cared for him throughout a 15-year battle with a rare blood condition.

Eric lived with immune thrombocytopenia, known as ITP. The condition reduces the number of platelets in the blood, which can cause bleeding and bruising.

Christine recalled several occasions when Eric became seriously ill and needed urgent hospital care. During one admission, he spent five weeks in hospital before staff helped him recover and return home.

She said: “There were so many times when I thought he had gone because he had been so ill. At times, I sat outside the hospital weeping, particularly during Covid when I couldn’t go in.

“But he took everything in his stride.”

Despite the challenges they faced, Christine remembers a life filled with laughter, teaching, travel and a shared faith.

The couple did not have children of their own, but Christine said every child they taught felt like one of theirs.

She added: “How blessed were we that we could go through life laughing and having fun? We had the most amazing life. We travelled, we loved teaching and we loved our jobs.”

Following Eric’s death, around £3,000 was donated in his memory. Christine also made a personal donation to UHNM Charity and plans to continue supporting the hospital.

She said: “I look at all the nurses and doctors who kept him alive. Even when he was an older man, they gave him the same attention they would have given to a child or a young adult.

“I hope other people can see that the money is put to such good use. There is such a need for it in so many areas of the hospital.”

At Eric’s funeral, Christine heard stories about the many quiet acts of kindness he had carried out during his life.

One former pupil shared that Eric had bought him a pair of rugby boots when his family could not afford them. It was something Eric had never mentioned to Christine.

“The funeral was absolutely packed and I learned so much about him,” she said.

“He was a gentle giant. He never criticised anyone. I have a huge bag of cards about him which I will keep forever.”

Christine hopes her donation will help hospital staff continue caring for other patients and families. She also wants Eric’s story to encourage others to give in memory of someone important to them.

She said: “I hope other people will perhaps follow in my footsteps. If they have received care at the hospital, I hope they remember the people who helped them along the way.

“Thank you to the nurses and doctors for their smiling faces and for everything they did for Eric.”