Lindt siege survivor Louisa Hope’s fight for the nurses who helped her
AS she lay in hospital after the Lindt cafe terrorist siege, Louisa Hope feared she would lose her left foot.
NSW
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AS she lay in hospital after the Lindt cafe terrorist siege, Louisa Hope feared she would lose her left foot.
A piece of shrapnel had left a large hole in her foot, so she asked a nurse at Prince of Wales Hospital if it could be saved. She has never forgotten the answer.
“She said to me, ‘Oh well, I’ve seen worse’,” Ms Hope said yesterday. “I thought, ‘She’s seen worse.’ It’s going to be all right then.”
The care of that nurse and all who aided her recovery led the 54-year-old to set up the Louisa Hope Fund for Nurses, which she said yesterday has raised more than $180,000.
She wants to expand the fund across the country and next week launches a “leadership lounge” to help nurses with professional development.
“It’s awesome to be able to give something back to them,” Ms Hope said as she was reunited with emergency unit manager Rachael, who helped save her life.
Rachael said: “Louisa has become a great advocate for nurses. We cherish what she is doing for us.”
Ms Hope is speaking at a lunch hosted by the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation at Parliament House on March 28.
Details at www.powhf.org.au/event/lunch-with-hope/