So...here goes.. I am 68, was widowed at 42 when my husband had a massive heart attack. Our daughter is 44 and lives in Kent with 3 of my 5 grandsons. Our son 42 lives in Copenhagen with the other 2 of the 5 boys.
I qualified as a nurse in 1966 at Kings College Hospital after doing my Orthopaedic training at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. I worked in the NHS for several years in A & E. before starting my own business which I sold some years later.
Briefly a car crash in France when I was 38 changed my life. I had a skull fracture and brain haemorrhage and was in a coma for 10 days before being flown back by air ambulance to Southampton hospital. Luckily the swelling from the bleeding had begun to subside so I didn't need an operation but had about 3 months in hospital recovering. When I had my first check up after leaving hospital l was diagnosed with narcolepsy and cataplexy as a result of the bang on the head. Believe it or not I didn't know what this was so had to look it up in my dictionary when I got home. Good doctor patient communication has obviously moved on a bit since then.
Five years later I was widowed and my son was at boarding school and my daughter at college. Not the best time of my life.
Let's jump a decade or so and do a quick recap. I was Chair of the Parish Council in Wiltshire where I lived before moving to Reading to look after my Mum.
I am a Patient Advocate at my local hospital, Chair of South Reading Patient Voice, Edit and read for Reading Talking Newspaper and am going to do something for ex-carers in Reading. I'm also going to have a cup of tea now.
You guys don't know how lucky you are to have Chills4us and I hope to be with you for a long time.Statistics: Posted by Fairview — 20 Jul 2013, 15:39
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