Without warning, Giles suffered a life-threatening tear in the main artery leading from his heart. But even though the incident happened in the early hours of the morning, KSS were able to reach Giles in minutes to give him immediate life-saving care before taking him to King’s College Hospital for emergency surgery. Thankfully for Giles and his family, he is alive today and recovering well. Quickly reaching the scene by helicopter and delivering world-leading, life-saving care, can be the difference between life and death.
Giles collapsed out of bed at 4am
He made a loud, peculiar noise. I thought he was choking or having a stroke, and although conscious, he was agitated, confused and distressed. I called 999 for an ambulance right away, but when I was told the Air Ambulance was also on its way, I knew it was really serious. After the emergency services arrived, plus the doctor and paramedic from KSS, there were more than 12 emergency workers in the house, with equipment laid out everywhere.
Then our six-year-old Max, sleepily appeared
I whisked him downstairs, but he was upset and didn’t understand. He wanted to be with his Daddy and had lots of difficult questions he wanted answering. I kissed Giles goodbye before KSS took him to King’s College Hospital. We had no idea if we would see him again. It was terrifying. Throughout the journey, the KSS team kept Giles alive by giving him oxygen and supporting his blood pressure and heart rate. Once he arrived at hospital, he had emergency heart surgery and was in intensive care for four days.
Giles is now doing well but it’s been a long recovery
It feels as if somebody suddenly pulled the rug out from under our family’s feet. I never thought we would go through a medical emergency like this. Without the incredible team from KSS, Giles may not be with us now.”
