"My Husband’s Stroke Recovery Journey"

Last year, my husband had a stroke. He is fit and healthy and only 49 at the time. I called for an ambulance, and they arrived within 15 minutes. The paramedics were calm, professional, and reassuring, which helped in an incredibly stressful moment especially as it was before school time so all my children were there in amongst it all. 

He was admitted to the stroke ward, where he had a full range of tests. Even though he didn’t have the usual stroke markers, the team was thorough and determined to find the cause. He was in the RAH for a week and the care throughout was professional, and really kind to us as a family. I especially appreciated the consultant explaining what had happened to him to us and my older child. 

Over the following months, the consultant continued to support my husband and applied for the funding to receive surgery. About six weeks ago, my husband had heart surgery to close a hole in his heart, which the doctors discovered was most likely the cause of the stroke. The level of care, attention, and follow-up we’ve received has been outstanding, and we’re incredibly grateful.

We’ve felt supported every step of the way. It was a frightening experience for him and us as a family, but the care and attention we received helped carry us through. We’re very thankful to everyone who’s been involved in his recovery.