Mayfair 'guardian angel' who saved man's life after stroke found
A man who collapsed on a street when he had a stroke in London's West End has tracked down the "guardian angel" who saved his life.
Mathew O'Toole, 47, had been sitting on a bench outside a coffee shop in Wigmore Street, Mayfair, on 10 June when he began vomiting and sweating.
He said a nurse with a "kind face" called Dani or Danielle spotted the signs of a stroke and stopped to help.
The family has since made contact with her after a BBC News story on Saturday.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Sunday, Mr O'Toole's wife, Georgina, 44, said: "One of [Danielle's] friends saw the BBC article and got in touch with me on LinkedIn, and said, you don't know me but I know Danielle and this is her email address.
"I sent her a quick email last night to check she was the right Danielle, and she said yes she was, and she had been worrying ever since about what happened to him and was really pleased to know he was OK.
"She said there was no need for any thanks, but it would be very nice to have a chat over the phone when we have some time. She came across as a very lovely person, over email as well as in person."
Mr O'Toole said: "It's just amazing.
"I just want to talk to [Danielle] about why, about how, about what I can do to support what she did, and how more people can not just walk on by, which is what she didn't do."
Raise awareness
Mrs O'Toole said the family hoped to be able to do something in thanks, such as donating to a charity of her choice.
They also want to raise awareness of the fact vomiting can be a sign of a stroke.
"Although we know the common side effects of a stroke, there can be lots of symptoms including vomiting, double vision, spinning, and nausea and I want to get that across and make sure that nobody passes on by," she said.
Mr O'Toole was able to return home to his family in Farnham, Surrey, after five days in hospital and he is set to make a full recovery.
Mrs O'Toole said the family was grateful they were able to spend Father's Day together.
"I will definitely be making dinner for him, but nothing out of the ordinary because we don't need out of the ordinary, we just need him home and healthy," she said.
Signs and symptoms of a stroke
One in four strokes happen to people under the age of 65, according to the charity Different Strokes. It says people should use the FAST acronym as a simple test.
- Face - has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
- Arms - can they raise both arms and keep them there?
- Speech - is their speech slurred?
- Time to call 999 if you see any one of these signs
Other stroke symptoms include sudden loss of vision, sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden memory loss or confusion, sudden dizziness or unsteadiness, or a sudden fall.
Source: Different Strokes
Related Internet Links
June 20, 2021 at 09:00PM
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57539824
Labels: BBC News
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