A stroke patient has thanked the hospital team who cared for him by handing over a £2,100 donation.
Geoff Fell, 61, suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) in December last year and was rushed to the Hyper Acute Stroke Unit at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.
He is now well on the mend, and, to say thank to the unit that looked after him, he organised a charity golf day at Carlisle Golf Club.
“My dad had a particularly bad stroke about 15 years ago and if this unit had been here then he may have recovered and enjoyed a better standard of living than he did,” said Geoff, of Linstock, near Carlisle.
“The unit is great for the area as it means more special care can be given in that critical period – rather than having to transport a patient to Newcastle.”
Geoff is still under investigation and regularly attends appointments at the infirmary to see what medication is going to be suitable for him going forward.
He said: “When you’ve had a TIA they go through a checklist and it’s a bit like a process of elimination.
“When I was on the ward I was very impressed with the care I received during the first critical 24-hour period and I asked one of the chief nurses if they accepted charitable donations.
“She said they did and so me and my friend – also called Geoff – organised the charity golf day.
“I will definitely continue to raise funds for HASU as I am grateful for all that they have done for me.”
Lisa Pearce, staff nurse practitioner at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are really grateful for this recognition. It is a morale booster for staff and very much appreciated.”
The HASU opened in December 2019 and is a separate unit with capacity for up to 10 stroke patients where they can spend up to 72 hours being cared for around the clock by the team of doctors, nurses and therapists.
After this period, the patient is transferred to the acute stroke and rehabilitation ward at either the Cumberland Infirmary or West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven or discharged back to their home where they can be supported by the Early Supported Stroke Discharge team.
