On the 22nd April just 10 days after Chris 37th birthday i tried to wake chris up for work. I was unable to wake him. After the ambulance was called and i was questioned in front of chris children if had taken an overdose and what made me put him in the recovery position, i explained that chris was making a funny noise like he was snoring (This was his body's way of protecting his airways) so by positioning him I opened his airways and saved his life. I found out that Chris had had a stroke in his sleep. 

After an agonising 7hours in A and E repeating chris health history over and over again I was told that a CT scan showed a bleed on the brain. My world crumbled as i was told that Chris was touch and go and that they were not sure what caused the strokes. They could tell me that there was an abnormality in his brain pathways which did not form properly as a baby and this was a ticking time bomb and that chris also had a really bad heart infection which steamed from years of a misdiagnosed heart defect. I was told that i would and should prepare our children for the worst because the longer chris stayed in a coma the likely hood of him waking up got slimmer. The Doctors in the hospital told me that they didn't think chris would wake up and the possibility of being a widow before i turned 40 was very likely. The hospital had made it clear the they had put a Do Not Resuscitate on chris because of the damage to his brain and heart it would be inhumane to restart his heart. My only silver lining was being told Chris was not brain dead as he was able to breathe on his own. But was connected to a ventilator just for support to not overwork is tired body.

After 17 days of being in the ITU ward Chris also had the added complications of needing a Tracheostomy to stop him biting down and moving the vent in his throat and Chris had contacted Covid from the hospital staff. The only place they could put him over then the Covid ward was to the Stroke ward in a private room.

I recieved a phone call from a Doctor at the hospital comparing Chris to another patient in a similar situation and that patient got a chest infection and only survived 5 days. My world broke.  Whilst a nurse comforted me he told that Chris was holding on and that maybe i needed to give him permission to let go and reassure him that Joshua, Lilly and myself would be ok. 

After being in a non-resposive coma for 3 weeks I sat there crying at Chris bedside telling him it was ok to join his mum if thats what he wanted. I looked up to see one beautiful big brown eye looking back at me. Chris is now at a minimal conscious state. His eye can follow me round the room. He is working with speech and language to communicate to yes no questions by wiggling fingers and toes. 

Whilst I try to hold on to any hope the reality it that best case scenerio is that Chris is looking at a very slow and long recovery. He will be able to communicate but the platform in which he can do that is not clear. He will be in a wheel chair and it will be a miracle if he can use his legs again. However, they have not taken end of life care off the table. 

I hope and pray he has proven the doctors wrong twice so far and although he is minimal conscious he makes small improvements everyday. 

Everyday I balance work, being mum and making sure Chris knows he is not on his own but I still feel useless as i watch him fight for his life back. So i have decided to Walk 40 miles before i turn 40 on the 2nd September in hope that i can raise £500 to help fund research so that another family can have the hope  that they can rebuild their lives.

When stroke strikes, part of your brain shuts down. And so does a part of you. Life changes instantly and recovery is tough. But the brain can adapt. Our specialist support, research and campaigning are only possible with the courage and determination of the stroke community. With more donations and support from you, we can rebuild even more lives.