A&E nurse at Worthing Hospital finishes shift to find car broken into - but what happened next restored her faith in humanity
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Emily Murphy, 24, from East Preston, had just finished a 12-hour shift at the hospital's A&E department in Lyndhurst Road, Worthing, on Thursday to find that her car windows were smashed in.
The thief had stolen her coat and prescription sunglasses which were inside.
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Hide AdShe had left a note on the windscreen saying she was an NHS nurse so that she could get the free parking being offered to NHS staff at the hospital car park during the coronavirus pandemic.
Emily said: "I was absolutely devastated when I first saw it, I felt violated and I felt so vulnerable.
"However it was the fact after a long shift I couldn’t just get into my car and drive it home as I was tired and was back to work the next day, that was the most upsetting."
Emily shared the ordeal on Facebook, and the post went viral, with more than 12,000 shares to date.
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Hide AdBy the following day, Steve Coward from Hastings had travelled over to her house with the glass panels for both her windows and fixed them both for free.
She said she wanted to say a 'huge thank you' to him. In another Facebook post that got more than 7,000 shares, she said: "I’ve never met this man, and unfortunately due to being at work today I still haven’t met him, however you truly are an angel and a beautiful soul, I can never thank you enough Steve. Anything you ever need I’ll always be indebted to you, I’ll be clapping every Thursday especially for you."
Another kind stranger, Adrian Martin, set up a Go Fund Me page for Emily, which has raised £705 to date.
She said 'his kindness has warmed my heart' and added: "The money you’ve all donated I’d like to either donate into my hospital or keep for my team of amazing A&E staff so when this all blows over we can go out for a massive blow out and laugh again! There is no need to carry on donating you lovely people. I’ll be clapping for Adrian and all of you awesome guys every Thursday too."
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Hide AdShe also said she had been inundated with messages from mechanics offering to help, and thanked Laura Squires, Laura Kate Russell and Deirdre Warner and the rest of her 'amazing paediatric A&E team' for sending her flowers to work to cheer her up.
She said: "You guys keep me going through the bad and the good and I could never be the nurse I am today without your continuous support. I love you all!"
Speaking to the paper, she said the acts of kindness had restored her faith in humanity.
She said: "I am absolutely astonished at the kindness of humans. People have private messaged me every day on Facebook from all over the UK and the world to ask if I’m okay and if they can do anything to help, people have offered me money and gifts.
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Hide Ad"It has completely restored my faith in humanity and shown me that we are quite beautiful as humans and there is definitely more good than bad in the world and it’s something we should all remember in dark times! I’ve cried so many times out of happiness."
To the person responsible for smashing her windows and stealing her belongings, she said: "Material things can be fixed and no matter how much you upset me the community pulled together and have showed me the greatest amounts of kindness.
"You won’t break my spirit, I was back to work the next day so nothing will stop me from my line of duty."
She added: "I just hope they’ve realised what they have done and feel truly ashamed of themselves."