Struggling to get a breath in and feeling like he was “choking to death”, Tony de Maaijer knew he was in a bad way.

“I couldn’t sleep all night and became really unwell, my lungs had given out and I knew I had to do something quickly,” Tony recalls.

Fortunately, Tony ended up “in the hands of the most marvellous professionals” - in the Flinders Medical Centre Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he spent 10 days.

“There were so many people in there who looked after me, and the care I received was amazing,” Tony says.

“All these beautiful people left an impression on me and I wanted to say thank you, and to do something that would benefit the hardworking staff directly.”

In a show of thanks, Tony recently returned to Flinders, making a generous donation of $10,000 to help provide recliners, massage chairs, a coffee machine, and other comforts for the staff in the unit.

ICU nurse Emma Dunstan said Tony’s visit to the unit gave staff a “boost”.

"We’re grateful to Tony for recognising the staff in ICU, particularly during such a challenging time in healthcare” Emma said.

“In the work we do, we don’t often see our patients again after they leave the ward, so to see a patient like Tony standing up, feeling better and recovered after all they’ve been through is really nice.”

Pleasingly Tony has recovered and is feeling well - busily working, enjoying exercise, games of table tennis and looking after his young grandchildren.

If you’re a grateful patient or family member and would like to make a donation to Flinders Foundation to support health and medical research and patient care, please get in touch with our team here or phone 8204 5216 or DONATE NOW