After fighting a severe COVID - 19 pneumonia and spending 82 days on a life-support ECMO machine, British resident Larrick Ebanks has donated that very same type of device to Hospital Universitario Son Espases in Mallorca. The newly acquired machine - a Cardiohelp-i unit valued at nearly €79,000 - will bolster the hospital’s intensive care capacity, especially for both adult and paediatric patients.
“When I woke up from the coma and saw all the people who had worked so hard to help me, I realised I had to do something with my life to help them,” Ebanks said at the presentation. The donation was made possible through a fundraising campaign led by Ebanks and the Fundación JoyRon.
Larrick thanked all the hospital staff for their dedication and support. His sister Donna Suarez expressed her gratitude to everyone who donated, but also countless friends who supported Larrick on his journey to recovery, singling out David Gómez, owner of Fit Club gym in Son Caliu, where Larrick has been training ever since he came out of hospital.
Intensivist José Raúl Arévalo described the device as “a real injection of energy and optimism for us.” Meanwhile, Dr María Teresa Millán explained that “ECMO allows us to oxygenate the blood outside the body and give the organs time to recover.”
The new machine, already called The Larrick ECMO in his honour, will also enable secure transport of critically-ill patients between centres by air or ground. Ebanks’s gesture stands as a powerful symbol of gratitude and resilience, transforming his personal survival story into a life-saving resource for others.