ICD Patient and Family Heart Support Group

The ICD Patient and Family Heart Support Group


of North Staffordshire and the U.K.

Welcome to the new Website!!! - - - If you have any questions please get in touch with us via the contact us page - - - We look forward to hearing from you soon!!!

This site is dedicated in loving memory to Val Ward, gone but never forgotten.

November/December 2011

18.12.11

Message From Your Chairman

Hi Folks! Firstly, may we wish all our members, their families, friends, fundraisers and sponsors, A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2011!

We are doing something very different this year and are not sending out our usual Christmas cards to you all. Instead, we will be posting a video on our new website at www.icdsupport.org.uk and hope that you will all be able to take a look at James, Brenda and our committee members Roy and Vic and volunteers, Dot and Di (who many of you have never met) wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year in person.

This has all been made possible by the kind donations, in lieu of floral tributes, from the Family and Friends of Val Ward, who sadly passed away on October 13th 2011. It was both Val and Layton's wish and the money raised totalled £630. This was presented to us at our offices on November 10th 2011 by Layton. We do thank all concerned most sincerely and would like you all to know that this sum of money came at an opportune time to set up our new website as the Beehive one had recently closed down.

The Website has been dedicated to Val's memory and we would like to thank our new Web Administrator, Scott Waldron, for all his efforts and long hours put into making this a great success. As some of you are already aware, Brenda designed and has always administered the Beehive Website since 2001 but recently decided to relinquish these duties and pass it on to Scott. May I take this opportunity of thanking her on behalf of the Group for all the hard work and long hours she has put in over the years to make sure that ICD patients, their families and carers had a website to visit for up to date information and support. She will, of course, continue her administration and secretary/treasurer duties for the Group.

Onec again, thanks to you all!

James Lyons




Healthy Eating Christmas Recipe

We all enjoy the occasional little indulgence and Christmas is the one time that we can treat ourselves! This chocolate-dipped fruit is lovely and also makes a fabulous last minute gift also, when put into a nice box and tied with a nice ribbon!

Ingredients -

  • 57g/2oz White Chocolate
  • 57g/2oz Plain Chocolate
  • 8 small strawberries
  • 8 seedless grapes
  • 8 physalis
  • 8 kumquats


Method -
  1. Break the white chocolate into squares and place into a small bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water. Likewise, put the plain chocolate into a separate bowl. Do not allow the water to boil.
  2. When the chocolate melts, remove from the heat. Dip 4 of each fruit into the white chocolate, so the ends are coated and place on a sheet of silicon paper. Repeat with the remaining fruit and plain chocolate.
  3. Transfer to a container, cover and store in the refrigerator until required
ENJOY! YUM YUM!




Kind Donations

Lesley Johnson - £18.00
Keven Mongor - £8.00
Dr Edward & Mrs Anne Vernon - £13.00
Gordon Hatherill - £5.00
Margaret & Raich Carter - £6.00




New Member

We would like to welcome the following new member to our Group - Mr Roy Barnett of Cheshire.




Annual Christmas Prize Draw

This took place and was videoed on Tuesday 13th December at these offices and we would like to congratulate the winning Members and wish them Christmas cheer! Their names will be published in our February edition. As in previous years the total prize money was £75.00 (i.e. 1st - £35.00, 2nd - £25.00, 3rd - £15.00




Letters to the Office

These were too numerous to mention individually and all were Thank You's for the organisation of our Summer/Autumn lunch this year at the Quality Inn, Hanley. Thanks to you all for your expressions of appreciation.




Fancy a Laugh

A little boy was sitting on Santa's knee and he was asked "What would you like for Christmas, Son?" He answered, "I want a BIG guitar please." Santa replied, "That might be a problem for me to get it down the chimney." The little boy said, "Should not be a problem Santa, you got a piano down last year!"

That's All Folks until the New Year and thanks to you all for the wonderful support during 2011, to enable us to carry on giving support to ICD patients, their families and carers.

James and Brenda x




That's Life Folks! - An Example Newsletter

15.11.11

Message From Your Chairman

Hope you are all keeping well and enjoying life!

Some of you may not be aware of the affects of Amiodorane on the skin, whilst sunbathing. Please be sure to read the leaflet enclosed with your tablets and make sure that a high factor sunscreen is always used.

Whoops! I have just looked out of the office window and it has just started to rain!

Do you have any photos to share with us that we can print of your holidays, pastimes etc or even a poem or nice letter or postcard? If so, do let us have them.

James Lyons




Rockey Trumphs Again!

Big hearted John (at the age of 66yrs young), again ran the Potteries “Arf to raise funds for our Group on Sunday, 12th June 2011 in 2 hours 31 mins.

A very tired and wet John telephoned us at the office the same day to say he had completed the course and that monies raised for the Group so far was £175 but that he still needed to collect more in. He estimated that the personal total raised by him will be £200.

Group Members and their families and friends have also sent in donations to the office to support John and the grand total will be published in our next issue.

We are very proud of you John and we thank you for your excellent efforts on behalf of our Support Group.

Again, many thanks to you all for your support.




Ipods

Following a report in the press recently, and after numerous phone calls to the office asking if it is true that Ipods can affect an ICD’s performance, I checked with ICD manufacturers and bio-medics, and have been assured that there is little truth in the report. To be sure of safety, however, it is recommended that the Ipod is not put in a top pocket near to your ICD but treated like your mobile phone.




DITCH THE SALT

We recently contacted the Food Standards Agency, who kindly let us have copies of the enclosed booklet entitled “The little book of Salt”, which we hope will be useful to you all.




Message in a Bottle-

Emergency Information Scheme, which could save your life!

Please find enclosed an information leaflet on the above, which was sent to us recently by one of our Members.

This Scheme is being promoted by Lions Club throughout the UK.

You will be able to get your free bottle, if required, from either your local Lions Club, Doctors Surgeries, Chemists, Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators and Social Services.

If you have any difficulty, contact your local Lions Club.

Nutty Notices—A notice outside Epsom District Hospital read as follows:-

“Guard Dogs Operating”

We thought the NHS was short of money, but there must be a limit to what patients have to put up with!

That’s all Folks from That’s Life This Month.
Keep well and keep in touch.
James & Brenda