23 April 2020… 23rd April 2019 is a date I will never forget…Today is the anniversary of my diagnosis with heart disease… The visit to the doctor on this day last year discovered a heart murmur, a murmur that changed my life and really my view of life… The confirmation of a dodgy heart started with a blood test and an ECG, 8 weeks later a Cardiograph that resulted in immediate admission to Prince Philip Hospital.
The outcome of these tests showed a critical heart valve and the only remedy was surgery… I spent the next 5 weeks in Ward 4 of PPH looked after by the brilliant team of medical and hotel services staff. I was then shipped off to Morriston Hospital where another brilliant team of medical and hotel services staff prepared me for the near 8 hour operation on 31 July…
I woke in ICU and was transferred to the HDU afterwards and a week later I was sent home with a heart that was working a lot better. A year later I am close to recovery, still some pain and discomfort but if I had not gone to the doctor when I did, the outcome might have involved daisies…At this time of uncertainty due to this dreaded virus, I can testify that the NHS is second to none in providing care and support for everyone, all the members of staff that work day in day out looking after the sick deserves the appreciation of the nation again at 8pm…
Let’s get out there and show it for them, but also do not forget the care and support staff looking after the vulnerable at this difficult time and all the key workers that are doing their best to support all of us under this massive cloud of illness and sadly death that surrounds us all…
From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, I survived…
Let the Journey begin... 