Farewell to one of our Trustees

Suzanne Wesley, one of the original trustees of Neurocare, retires from the NHS after 43 years.

We were very sad to have to say goodbye to Suzanne Wesley, who retired from the NHS in January this year and resigned as a Trustee of Neurocare at the same time, having made a significant contribution to the charity’s success over more than 20 years.

Suzanne worked at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, including time at the Royal Infirmary before that, for 43 years. Since 1968, she has been on the neurosurgical ward looking after some of the regions’ poorliest patients working her way up to a matron position. Says Suzanne: “I have loved every minute of my career and would do it all again if I could! I’ve so enjoyed working with the patients and the multi-disciplinary team that made my time so special.

She was also one of the first trustees of Neurocare and it is still something she is extremely passionate about. Says Suzanne: “We did such a lot of hands on fundraising back in the early days from organising jumble sales and fairs to a cricket match between the Sheffield and Liverpool neurosurgeons after the Hillsborough disaster. It is wonderful to see the charity going from strength-to-strength now providing equipment for not just neurosurgery but neuromedicine too - it provides such a lot of support especially for patients’ families. Often they have suffered such a devastating loss or a really frightening experience involving a loved one and just want to say thank you and put something back. Helping Neurocare provides them with a way to do that.

“The brain scanning that is now on offer is one of the most remarkable changes that I have seen over the 43 years from CT, and MRI to the 3D ‘Sonowand’ scanning equipment which Neurocare has helped fund. The Brainwave Appeal for the Sonowands has been so important because it means Sheffield’s neuro department is now second to none – it is a regional centre and if the unexpected, awful thing happens to you or a family member you know you are in the best possible hands here in Sheffield.

“I’m going to miss it all very much but am looking forward to spending time with my two daughters and being a grandmother to my six grandsons. It will be nice to spend some time in my home and just relax.”