THE NHS is always there in our time of need — something that Katie Piper knows more than most.
Since a horrific acid attack on her in 2008, the TV presenter and charity campaigner has needed so many operations that she says she stopped counting years ago.
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Katie, 36, adds: “I have been supported by so many people in the NHS and in lots of different ways.
“I also gave birth on the NHS and had amazing midwifery teams. My mum has been going through cancer and is having treatment.
“You get to meet all these NHS workers at different stages, some at really joyful moments, some at really difficult moments, but there’s always that consistency.
“They always stay supportive, professional and strong. It’s kind of superhuman to be strong for someone like that at all different times.
BRITAIN’s four million NHS staff are on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
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The Sun has launched an appeal to raise £1MILLION for NHS workers.
The Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff in their hour of need.
We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in their urgent Covid-19 Appeal to ensure the money gets to exactly who needs it.
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“The NHS is what makes our country special and is a reason for us to be really proud, because no matter how big or small the problem, they are always there.”
Now she says it is our turn to be there for them.
Former model Katie — who is backing our Who Cares Wins Appeal to raise £1million for our NHS heroes — reveals she is trying to give back by setting up a burns survivors’ support line.
It is being run through her charity, The Katie Piper Foundation, which operates a rehabilitation centre in St Helens, Merseyside, that has had to close temporarily because of the lockdown.
She says: “We are trying to take some of the pressure off the NHS because there are lots of burns survivors who still need support. NHS burn units can give their patients our number.”
Katie was almost blinded in one eye in the acid attack, which was instigated by an ex-boyfriend.
She spent two months in the burns unit at the Chelsea And Westminster Hospital in West London, where she was put in an induced coma in intensive care.
She says: “Anyone who has had treatment will know that it is such a big team of people involved.
“It’s down to the people washing your bed sheets, the porters, right up to the consultants.
“The porter is as important as the consultant, because if one wasn’t there then the chain would break. It just wouldn’t work.”
She adds: “They don’t get paid a lot. They’re sacrificing a lot for our needs. You’re not just a number on their sheet, you’re a person.
“You always get treated like an individual, which is amazing.
“My surgeon would come in on his days off to check up on me.
“This type of example shows it’s their passion and dedication, not just somewhere they come to pick up a pay cheque and leave.
“When we call it their job, I think it goes beyond that, as we are seeing with corona-virus.
“They treat it as their duty, not just a job. I’m in awe of them.”
Besides her charity work, Katie has built a TV career including a stint on Strictly Come Dancing and she has just launched the third series of her award-winning podcast, Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People.
Now our NHS heroes’ dedication has made her think about devoting a podcast series to them too.
She says: “That would be so interesting. They don’t get a platform to tell it — that’s why I think The Sun’s Who Cares Wins campaign is so great, because you’re really showcasing what our NHS heroes are doing for us.”
Katie, who is at home in isolation with her husband Richard Sutton, a carpenter, and their daughters Belle, six, and Penelope, two, is urging Sun readers to donate what they can to our appeal.
We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in its Covid-19 Appeal to raise money for food and care packs for NHS staff fighting the coronavirus, as well as somewhere for them to sit to let off steam.
Katie says: “Giving isn’t about being wealthy or the largest amount you give, it’s about sharing a little bit of what you have.
“Every morning on Insta-gram I read a positive quote and it’s funny because today’s affirmation was, ‘The best way to cheer yourself up is to try and cheer somebody else up’.
“So actually what Sun readers might find from giving something back and from helping other people is that they get so much from it.
“If you are feeling down or depressed, knowing you are making a difference to those people will actually do wonders for you.”
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