Phil & Sharon's Story

Sharon is in a nursing home having suffered a SAH on March 10th 2007. Prior to this, she was a very active, very beautiful, very funny and very good natured person whom I loved very much indeed as she loved me. She left that day for a meeting whilst I stayed at home doing some recording. Before she went, we were carrying on and being generally silly with one another and she said she had a sinus headache which she had had pretty much all week. Anyway, she took a pain-killer and we kissed and said goodbye as she was to spend the evening celebrating her friend's birthday after the meeting.

About 4pm, I received a call from a man at the meeting who seemed to be a retired doctor as he knew exactly what was happening to Sharon. He said that she had suddenly felt very ill during the meeting and was quite sure it was cerebral bleeding. I spoke to Sharon briefly; she said, 'Hi Baby, it's really bad I feel like I can barely speak.' At that moment the ambulance arrived and she was taken to Newcastle General Hospital.

She had arrived at the hospital still conscious and talking to the staff when her blood pressure had gone through the roof and she had taken a fit. The last time I saw Sharon as she was, she was in a stretcher bed being taken to the theatre.

They clipped the aneurysm and we were told to 'wait and see'. At 4.00am, I was awoken by a phone call from the hospital; they said that there was still evidence of bleeding and they would be monitoring her through the night.

In the next few days, Sharon's blood pressure continued to spike. I received another phone call from the neurosurgeon saying that the only way he could save her was to remove the bone flap to alleviate the pressure on her brain.

The operation was a success and about a week later they performed a brain scan. I was told that there was evidence of dead tissue, damage to both sides of the brain, and in view of the chest infection Sharon had contracted, they didn't think she would live more than a month and if she did her quality of life would be zero.

Sharon survived and I am so proud of her. She has been in the nursing home since November 2007, having been assessed at a Neuro Rehabilitation Centre and given the same prognosis as the hospital.

Sharon needs total assistance and 24 hour care but has made progress since she arrived there. I visit her every day and she is so beautiful even the way she is now and I live in hope that she will continue to progress hopefully to recovery. The odds are against but I've heard of others going through exactly the same situation and, after years, have made full recovery.

It is a very, very long road indeed, and there is absolutely no guarantee other than hope but to me Sharon is precious and if it was me she would do exactly the same.

I hope this may help someone or someone may have some thoughts they may want to share.Phil