In 2009, David Richards became one of the UKās first adult ECMO survivors after swine flu sent him into severe ARDS. This is his full journeyāfrom collapse to coma, to ECMO, and beyond. It is a powerful, real-life story of survival, recovery, and resilience.
My husband was on ECMO in 2022 at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster British Columbia Canada. He was on VA unfortunately his left Femoral Nerve damaged
Thank you so much for reaching out, and I'm truly sorry to hear about your husbandās nerve injury during his ECMO journey at Royal Columbian Hospital. I'm honored that youāre open to sharing your story.
Iād love to feature your experience in our patient-focused newsletter, ECMO 143: A Patient & Family Guide. To help us present your story meaningfully to other families going through similar journeys, hereās what we typically ask for:
What to Include:
Story Length: Around 400ā800 words is ideal, but feel free to write more if youāre comfortable.
Photos: Please include 3 to 6 photos, such as:
Before ECMO
During ECMO (hospital or ICU photos)
How are you todayācelebrating recovery, milestones, family moments, or even everyday life
Details to Consider:
When and where ECMO took place
What led up to ECMO (diagnosis, symptoms, hospital experience)
How long was your husband on ECMO, and what type (you mentioned VA)
What helped you get through that timeāfaith, support, the care team, or anything else
Challenges you faced (such as the femoral nerve injury) and how you're managing today
Reflections since ECMO: recovery journey, lingering effects, new perspective, advice for others
Please donāt worry about formattingāweāll help with editing for clarity and structure, and weāll always send you a draft for approval before publishing anything.
Let me know if you have any questions. And again, thank you for your courage and generosity in sharing. Stories like yours make a real difference.
That was truly inspiring, the way the story was wrote, how you highlighted specific events and dates, makes it easier to relate and understand just what he went through. I could read about patients survival of ECMO all day. thank you
Thank you so much for your kind wordsāIām really glad Davidās story resonated with you. The way he shared his timeline and the emotional milestones truly helps others understand what ECMO patients and families go through.
If you ever feel moved to share your own ECMO experience, or that of someone close to you, Iād be honored to help you tell that story. These real-life journeys offer hope, courage, and connection for so many.
My husband was on ECMO in 2022 at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster British Columbia Canada. He was on VA unfortunately his left Femoral Nerve damaged
We would like to share our story
Hi Sandhya,
Thank you so much for reaching out, and I'm truly sorry to hear about your husbandās nerve injury during his ECMO journey at Royal Columbian Hospital. I'm honored that youāre open to sharing your story.
Iād love to feature your experience in our patient-focused newsletter, ECMO 143: A Patient & Family Guide. To help us present your story meaningfully to other families going through similar journeys, hereās what we typically ask for:
What to Include:
Story Length: Around 400ā800 words is ideal, but feel free to write more if youāre comfortable.
Photos: Please include 3 to 6 photos, such as:
Before ECMO
During ECMO (hospital or ICU photos)
How are you todayācelebrating recovery, milestones, family moments, or even everyday life
Details to Consider:
When and where ECMO took place
What led up to ECMO (diagnosis, symptoms, hospital experience)
How long was your husband on ECMO, and what type (you mentioned VA)
What helped you get through that timeāfaith, support, the care team, or anything else
Challenges you faced (such as the femoral nerve injury) and how you're managing today
Reflections since ECMO: recovery journey, lingering effects, new perspective, advice for others
Please donāt worry about formattingāweāll help with editing for clarity and structure, and weāll always send you a draft for approval before publishing anything.
Let me know if you have any questions. And again, thank you for your courage and generosity in sharing. Stories like yours make a real difference.
Warm regards,
Jonathan B. Jung, RRT-NPS
ECMO Specialist
Founder, ECMO 143: A Patient & Family Guide
š https://ecmo.life
š§ ecmo143@lifesupport.training
That was truly inspiring, the way the story was wrote, how you highlighted specific events and dates, makes it easier to relate and understand just what he went through. I could read about patients survival of ECMO all day. thank you
Hi Kelly E,
Thank you so much for your kind wordsāIām really glad Davidās story resonated with you. The way he shared his timeline and the emotional milestones truly helps others understand what ECMO patients and families go through.
If you ever feel moved to share your own ECMO experience, or that of someone close to you, Iād be honored to help you tell that story. These real-life journeys offer hope, courage, and connection for so many.
Feel free to reach out anytime at ecmo143@lifesupport.training, or visit https://ecmo.life to learn more.
Thanks again for reading and being part of this community. More stories are on the way!
Warmly,
Jonathan
Founder, ECMO 143: A Patient & Family Guide.