CROSBY & LITHERLAND
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10 January 2018
Vol 25 ● Issue 2
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Lakeside Centre lost £250,000 but is ‘valued community asset’ MP calls for free parking at hospitals Report by Henry James MP Bill Esterson has said he wants to see parking at hospitals made free after it was revealed that Aintree hospital made £2.7m from car parking charges last year. The hospital is among the most expensive trusts in England for parking fees as it charges £3 for a one-hour parking stay. Mr Esterson said: “Parking at hospitals should be free but the NHS is facing the biggest budget squeeze in its history and Merseyside has faced some of the biggest cuts in the NHS of any part of the country. “Income that is currently generated from car park charges should be replaced via general taxation. “Labour would properly fund the NHS so it is not the staff, patients or their families who are subsidising the service via disproportionate car parking charges. “Public transport to hospitals is also key - and cuts to bus services have made travelling by car the only option for many people. “Public transport links must be improved to make leaving the car at home a viable option.”
‘Rat run’ road to be blocked off in three month trial
‘HER MEMORY WILL LIVE ON FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS’
Kirsten with her daughter, Penelope
Family pay tribute to Kirsten who died, aged 23, just four weeks after being diagnosed with leaukaemia Report by Tom Martin
THE family of a Crosby mum who tragically passed away on Christmas Day after a short battle with leukaemia want to raise awareness about her illness. Kirsten Hawksey, 23, the mother of a one-year-old daughter called Penelope, was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia (APL) on November 27 after she noticed bruises on her legs. The former Chesterfield High School pupil was told she had an 80-85% chance of survival, but died only four weeks later due to complications, including a chest infection and bleed to the brain. Her family, including dad Neil, mum Emma and brother Jack, have paid tribute to Kirsten for her positive attitude, saying she was always upbeat throughout her illness and “never moaned once.” Kirsten's dad, Neil, also wanted to say that APL is “not
a death sentence”, and that his daughter was “really unlucky ” - but also urged others to get checked out if they suspect they have the illness. Neil told the Champion: “As a family we want to raise awareness about what happened, but we don't want to scare people because not everyone will be so unlucky. It wasn’t the APL which killed her but the complications after she was diagnosed. “This isn’t a death sentence and lots of other people will be cured. Everyone is different and I can only speak about what happened to Kirsten.” A few weeks before Kirsten was diagnosed with APL, she noticed some bruises on her legs, but didn't think it was that serious. It was only after speaking to family members and colleagues at her dental practice, where she worked as a dental nurse, that she went to see a doctor. Neil explains: “Even after she saw the bruises, she was laughing it off and carrying on as normal. A few days
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later and the bruises were worse. They looked like little paintball bruises all over her legs. “We actually Googled it and leukaemia was the first thing that came up, but again she laughed it off. “After then speaking to the people she worked with did she go and see the doctor about it. “It was on November 27 that she was diagnosed with leukaemia after having blood tests at Aintree Hospital. “But even then we were told out of all the different types of leukaemia, this was the one to get because there was an 80-85% chance of overcoming it. “We left quite upbeat. Kirsten got upset for about ten seconds but then after that she was back to being positive and thinking about work and Penelope.” In a Facebook post on December 3, Kirsten described herself how she was starting chemotherapy, and how she wanted to thank her family for encouraging her to go to the doctor. Continued inside
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