"The day I lost everything"

I left my husband in the emergency department in the early hours where he asked my daughter for a blanket and a glass of water and said good night.  Little did I know this would be our last conversation. 

We received a phone call around 9am to say he had become unresponsive and moved to ward to 28. 

When I arrived I could not believe that he was dying we were out the day before watching the rugby.

Not long after entering the room where it was clear he dying. He started choking on blood. 

I watched my daughter and my sister jump into a frenzy, shouting for help. No one came. They both looked at each other and said why is there no suction on the wall. They pulled a buzzer still no one came.  My daughter and sister left the room to find help.  I could hear a conversation just outside the door - please can you help, my dad is choking and there is no suction. The nurse responded - I don’t know, you need to go ask someone else.

I could hear her shouting down the corridor for emergency suction, still no one came 

I looked out the door as I was starting to panic, there was blood everywhere. Why was no one coming? 

I watched a nurse in a red uniform eventually hand my daughter a machine and they came into the room and tried to save him. 

The nurses followed in after aghast at the scenario in front of them. 

My daughter later states she asked 3 nurses for this emergency equipment and was ignored, no one reacted. 

A doctor came in and made me repeat 3 times he was dying, through my tears. 

A palliative care doctor came to see me and they weren't sure what happened and they would get antibiotics for the next 24hrs and he'd maybe pick up. 

They have just walked out of the room when I watched my dearest husband take his last breath. 

I believe this place to be very unsafe and I hope and pray every day no one ever experiences what we as a family did. 

My dearest husband shouldn't have had to suffer in his hour in the manner that he did. Choking and groaning in pain and when help was called for he was left to suffer his last hours. He did not deserve this. My daughter deserved better too. I hope and pray she finds the strength to carry on caring for those who need it most as it is clear this is unsafe practice of all the nurses on duty this day. 

To my daughter I am sorry you had to suffer too in your lonely attempt to find him comfort in his last hour.