An Exmouth woman has taken to the skies to raise funds for the medical unit which helped her husband.

Caroline Burns, of Copperfield Close, took part in a ‘wing walk’ on an aeroplane to raise funds for the intensive care unit at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

This is after her husband Bob, who suffered from bladder cancer, spent time in the unit following an operation to remove the organ.

Caroline, who was strapped upright to a specialised aeroplane while in flight, has raised more than £600 so far.

Bob told The Journal the challenge, which took place in Oxford, went ‘very well’.

Caroline added: “Without the skills of all on the intensive care unit Bob would not be with me now so raising funds to support this Unit is a sheer pleasure for me.

“From the moment Bob was with the hospital he received the best care and attention from all the doctors, nurses and support staff within the system and has nothing but admiration for them all, as have I.”

When he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in September last year, Bob had been expected to spend between seven and 12 days at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

Despite the operation to remove the organ and the cancer being a success, the following day Bob was in ‘great pain’ and a scan had shown an emergency operation was required on his bowel.

This was followed by four more days in the intensive care unit before being returned to the Dart Ward.

The next day the problem had returned meaning that Bob had to go back into surgery and spent another five days in intensive care.

Caroline said Bob was ‘nursed back to good health’ for six weeks on Dart Ward and due to muscle wastage had to learn how to get out of bed, stand and to walk again.

Bob has since been released from hospital to continue physiotherapy at home and joined Caroline at the airfield in Oxford to support her fundraising challenge.

Anyone who wants to donate can go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CarolineBurns3