Daughter thanks stroke care staff for looking after her dad

STROKE care staff at Yeovil District Hospital have been delighted after receiving a cheque for £1,500 from the daughter of a patient.

Having seen her father survive a rare and often deadly form of stroke, Kirsty Andrews was determined to do something to support the Yeovil Hospital services which had helped her dad get back on his feet.

And having spent months organising and co-ordinating a charity auction night, Kirsty and her friend Lucy Mackay went along to the hospital to present the proceeds to delighted stroke care staff – a cool £1,500.

The family’s involvement with YeovilHospital started in April last year. Kirsty’s dad, Guy Taylor, 61, had no idea he was so ill when he started feeling poorly at work, but soon after arriving at Yeovil’s A&E Department he was diagnosed as suffering from a brain-stem stroke and his chances of making a full recovery were rated as “slim.”

PHOTOS: Pictured, above from left, are specialist stroke nurse Caroline Smith, Kirsty Andrews, Guy Taylor, stroke services volunteer Bob Norbury, consultant therapist Deborah Neal, Lucy Macay and stroke consultant Dr El Nagi. Pictured, right, Yeovil District Hospital.

Guy, who lives near Templecombe, said: “People told me this was one of the worst types of stroke to suffer. They said the survival rate was around one in 1,000 people.

“And when they looked at my scans, they realised I had come incredibly close to losing movement and speech. I count myself very lucky.”

Having survived the stroke itself, staff in the hospital’s specialist stroke physiotherapy clinic then began working with Guy to give him the very best chances of making a full recovery and getting back to fitness and independence.

As well as addressing the physical after-effects of the stroke using targeted exercises and therapy, the Aspire clinic also provided Guy and his family with the opportunity to meet other people who were tackling the same issues and were able to share their experiences.

Kirsty said: “It was such a shock when this happened to dad, but the care he received from everyone at Yeovil Hospital was fantastic. We knew we had to do something to recognise what they had done and to help them care for others who find themselves in need of this kind of care in the future.”

An idea between Kirsty and her pal Lucy on New Year’s Eve, soon became a fully-fledged plan, promoted through a Facebook-led awareness campaign. Soon, auction items ranging from hotel breaks and experience-weekends, to free luxury-car rental and restaurant meals were being donated by organisations from the local area and across the South West counties.

Specialist stroke nurse, Caroline Smith, who was there to receive the cheque from Kirsty and Lucy, said: “This is a fantastic donation and we will use it to make a real difference to the care we give to those who have suffered a stroke.”

PHOTO: Pictured, from left, are specialist stroke nurse Caroline Smith, Kirsty Andrews, Guy Tyalor, stroke services volunteer Bob Norbury, consultant therapist Deborah Neal, Lucy Macay and stroke consultant Dr El Nagi.

Tags:
News.