Thank you NHS for saving my life

My story thanking the NHS started one month before Covid-19 struck when Paramedic Tamzin from Green Street Clinic diagnosed me with a heart problem and admitted me into Eastbourne DGH.

Then during the early evening of Tuesday February 11, 2020 Eastbourne DGH Intensive Care Unit with their professionalism literally saved my life by restarting my heart after losing my pulse.

Luckily for me, within an hour James the anaesthetist managed to secure me a bed at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and Doctor Aaron and nurses, Kate and Dana kept me stable during the two hours drive until my arrival there.

I then add two more cardiac arrests before my open heart surgery when a mitral valve replacement was fitted at 3am the next morning by Mr Paolo Bosco (I apologised to him later about that). For the next three weeks I must thank my specialist nurses who I remember, Jamie, Karen, Ashleigh, Opal, Nigel, Rachel, Gijty, Mariam, Marel and Rosie who were outstandingly caring and professional, as were all the staff, too many to mention here.

The time spent in St Thomas’ enabled me to recover to where I am today, which is a very grateful 82 years young patient.

Upon my discharge on Saturday March 7, the ambulance driver even managed to arrive in Eastbourne for me to see the second half of the rugby international.

I am now back playing golf at Willingdon GC, albeit with the help of a buggy.

Once again, thank you NHS.