I collapsed at home totally out of the blue
In March 2021, I had no serious health problems. I just felt tired one day and went to bed early. Next thing I remember, I woke up in intensive care eight days later. I’m told people started to worry because I hadn’t responded to any messages all day. By evening, my daughter Lucy came round to find me slumped against a storage heater at the bottom of the stairs. No-one’s sure how I fell. But my left arm was badly burned, I later needed surgery.
Lucy rang 999 and said my breathing sounded like I was dying and just like people she looks after as a Health Care Assistant. The South East Coast Ambulance Service and a Critical Care Paramedic arrived quickly but they were so worried, they called in KSS.
It was the expertise of Craig, the KSS Paramedic, that helped saved my life. He said he could smell ‘pear drops’ on my breath. This, along with high blood sugar and breathing in deep sighs, were signs of a diabetic coma. KSS kept me alive by putting me under anaesthetic and taking over my breathing with a ventilator, so I survived long enough to reach hospital.
KSS now treat more medical emergencies, than ever before
When I finally came round, an MRI scan showed my diabetic shock had led to a stroke. I came home seven weeks later and thanks to support from the stroke, speech, and language teams at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton my recovery continued. Three years on, that recovery is ongoing. My short-term memory isn’t good and it’s sometimes difficult to find the right word. I also tire easily, so it’s important I pace myself.
But without Craig, I wouldn’t be here
But without Craig, I wouldn’t be here. I’d never have seen my middle daughter, Emily, come home from Australia. I wouldn’t be around to enjoy time with my new granddaughter, Grace. I’m so thankful for the chance to see her grow up.
Before this I thought KSS just went out to big crashes on the motorway and got people to hospital faster. Now I know different. They bring the care, skills and lifesaving facilities of an emergency department to you. It’s this early intervention that saves lives like mine.
Now I’ve become a KSS volunteer to give something back. People need to know why it’s vital to support this lifesaving charity.
When I finally came round, an MRI scan showed my diabetic shock had led to a stroke. I came home seven weeks later and thanks to support from the stroke, speech, and language teams at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton my recovery continued. Three years on, that recovery is ongoing. My short-term memory isn’t good and it’s sometimes difficult to find the right word. I also tire easily, so it’s important I pace myself.
