The family of a student mental health nurse who died following a car crash in 2021 has donated money to support the patients who she would have cared for.
Lana Maddison, from Silloth, Cumbria was just 19 when she died from injuries caused by a road traffic accident for which her then-boyfriend was jailed due to his careless driving.
“Lana listened without judgement and would always help in any way she could”
Lisa Maddison
She had been training to be a mental health nurse at the University of Cumbria and had done placements with Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).
Since her death, Lana’s family has raised £10,000 in her name through a collection at her funeral and other charity events, including one on what would have been her 21st birthday.
Her family has now donated half of the funds to CNTW and the other half to local mental health charity Carlisle Eden Mind.
The NHS trust is putting the money into its SHINE Fund, which funds therapeutic activities and comfort items for the mental health patients in its service.
Lana’s mother Lisa Maddison said her daughter would have been happy to know that money raised in her honour was helping others.
Her daughter was also an organ donor, and her organs have been donated to four recipients since her death.
“I know how much she would have appreciated helping others,” said Lisa.
She noted how her daughter had known for a long time that she wanted to be a mental health nurse.
“People would open up to her,” she said.
“Lana listened without judgement and would always help in any way she could.”
During her placements, Lana worked on the Oakwood Ward at CNTW’s Carleton Clinic, which is for frail or vulnerable older adults with mental health concerns.
Her mother said Lana “absolutely loved the ward”, and part of the money raised will go towards new entertainment and garden facilities for the patients there.
In a joint statement, the ward’s acting manager Kerry Bone, and healthcare assistant Hayley Bimson, said: “We’d like to thank Lana’s family and friends for their incredible generosity and desire to make a positive impact to patients on Oakwood in Lana’s memory.
“Their generosity has made a huge impact on the patients’ journey to recovery and enhanced resources on the ward.”
