A former patient at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley has gone public to thank the staff who, she says, saved her life – and then made sure she was able to marry the love of her life.
Kathleen Swallow and her fiancé Eddie Eames, both from Paisley, had been planning to marry before the pandemic, but when COVID struck they had to cancel their plans … FOUR TIMES. So, with lockdown over and the country opening up again, they set a fifth date for March 4th this year.
All was going well and everything was on track for the big day – until February 16th when Kathleen felt a pins-and-needles sensation in her hands and feet. At first her GP thought she was having an allergic reaction to antibiotics she was taking for another condition, but by the 19th she had lost the use of her legs and was in intense pain.
At that point, she was taken to her local hospital, the RAH.
“I was in real distress, but the doctor I saw didn’t think it was an allergic reaction and instead thought it could be Guillain Barre Syndrome,” Kathleen said.
Guillain Barre is a very rare and serious condition that affects the nerves, causing problems such as numbness, weakness and pain. It can be treated and most people will eventually make a full recovery, although it can occasionally be life-threatening and some people are left with long-term problems.
“I was sent for a test, Guillain Barre was confirmed and treatment was started right away,” Kathleen, 33, said.
“That doctor really did save my life. If they hadn’t reacted so quickly and looked after me like they did, I can’t bear to think what would have happened.”
However, that was just the start of the story – on the morning of the 20th, Kathleen dropped the bombshell for staff at the RAH. “I’m due to get married on the 4th of March … less than two weeks from now.”
Angela Thomson, Senior Charge Nurse on Ward 10 where Kathleen was being cared for, explained what happened next: “When we heard what Kathleen had been through we thought, yes, we have to make this happen, to give her something to aim for.
“We spoke to the neurologist, and when he said OK, it was all systems go.”
Kathleen added: “The doctors said, ‘If we can, we’ll get you in the best condition for your wedding’. I was so happy, and it made me really determined to get there.”
She was moved into a single room so she could have some privacy, and the whole team worked to get her well enough to make her wedding.
When the big day arrived, Kathleen was given the all-clear to attend the ceremony – though afterwards she would need to come back to the hospital to continue her treatment. The whole team helped her to get ready, and some staff even came in on their day off to muck in.
Then, once the couple were on their way, everyone set to work decorating her room with flowers, hearts and balloons, and they moved in a visitor bed so that Kathleen and Eddie, 34, could at least be in the same room after their wedding.
Kathleen – now Mrs Eames – said: “It was the perfect day. Even though I had to go up the aisle on crutches, and I was in a wheelchair at the reception, Eddie and I had such a wonderful time.”
Just four weeks after she was admitted, Kathleen was discharged and she is now beginning to enjoy married life with Eddie, and she has a very simple message for everyone at the RAH.
“If it wasn’t for the team at the RAH, none of this would have happened.
“All I can say is thank you. Thank you for saving me, thank you for the wonderful care you gave me – and thank you for the best day of my life.”
On hearing of Kathleen and Eddie’s gratitude for everything the staff had done, Angela Thomson was more than a little humbled.
“We’re all so overwhelmed and grateful. We just wanted her to be walking down the aisle.
“Kathleen and Eddie are such a lovely couple, and we’re all delighted to have been able to help. But, really, it was Kathleen’s determination that got her there – the fight she put up was amazing.
“They really didn’t have to go to all this trouble. We honestly don’t look for thanks. We just do what we do. We’re blessed with such an amazing team in Ward 10.”
Lorna Loudon, Chief Nurse for the Clyde Sector of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “On behalf of everybody at the RAH, and across NHSGGC, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Kathleen and Eddie, and to thank her for her kind words.
“It is always very gratifying to hear when our staff go that extra mile to support our patients and their relatives, and I would also like to thank all the staff on Ward 10, and all other staff who were involved in Kathleen’s care.
“While Kathleen’s story is a particularly lovely one, every day our staff go out of their way to help those in their care, without any expectation of thanks or acknowledgement, and all of them deserve our appreciation, and our thanks.
“All of us at NHSGGC wish Kathleen and Eddie the very best for their new life together.”
Looking forward to her new life, Kathleen had one final tribute: “Eddie has been brilliant. He’s had so much to deal with over the past few weeks, but he’s handled it so well.
“Every day I’m feeling better. I have movement in my legs and am walking with crutches now.
“I can’t wait to see what married life has in store for us both.”
ENDS
