Why the UK's first deafblind medical student wants a piano in every NHS hospital

Watch: ITV Wales reporter Hamish Auskerry meets Alexandra Adams to find out more about her campaign.

A medical student is fundraising to get as many pianos into NHS hospitals as possible, after music became "a life-changing gift" during her 14-month hospital stay.

Alexandra Adams, who is the UK's first deafblind person training to become a doctor, was bedbound in hospital from June 2020 to August 2021.

During this time, she contracted sepsis seven times, as well as going through countless surgeries and procedures – all of which had a serious impact on her mental and physical health.

She says that on the days when she was struggling the most and COVID-19 restrictions were keeping her apart from loved ones, the hospital piano became her "sanctuary".

Throughout her long illness, Alexandra always found joy in playing the pianos at the specialist hospitals where she was a patient.

"At the time I had a rare condition which was undiagnosed… I was in a very bad place. There were so many tears," Alexandra told ITV Wales News.

"During COVID, I saw a lot of patients die to the right and left of me, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I was bedbound."

"The piano was my go-to, and honestly it was the one thing that meant that I kept my sanity."

Despite having never been taught how to play the piano, Alexandra began to teach herself to compose songs.

She also recalls how the piano would give joy and respite to other patients and staff, and helped to pass the time she had spend indoors.

"I want to be able to do my bit, and give back, by returning the love and support our wonderful NHS has given me..."

Alexandra has since been diagnosed with some lifelong conditions, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which causes pain, fatigue, and dislocating joints – sometimes multiple times a day.

She relies on portable oxygen 24 hours a day for respiratory muscle weakness and uses mobility aids to get around while she works on rebuilding her strength.

She has now set herself a fundraising challenge to encourage people to donate to her campaign.

"I decided to walk the length of the Wales coastal path, which is 870 miles in total," Alexandra said."I set up a GoFundMe page, and I’m just hoping people can either help to donate towards the cost of some pianos, or even if they have any second-hand pianos to help install into hospitals across the UK."

Alexandra is now working in the same hospital in Cardiff where she used to be a patient.

She will post regular updates on her progress social media with interactive maps and a mileage calculator, and soon hopes to begin the process of installing the first few pianos, so that everyone can benefit from music in their recovery.