Evelyn Asante-Mensah, our chair, has shared her personal story about illness and bereavement, ahead of returning to work in September 2024.
It’s wonderful to start a phased return to work after finally getting the ‘green light’ from my doctor.
I’ve missed this special organisation and its special people so much.
I’ve been out of action for six months, after falling seriously ill with sepsis, and it’s been a tough recovery journey.
Throughout this time however, I’ve really felt our Pennine Care values. The kindness and support I’ve had from the board and other colleagues has been incredible - and I want to share my story.
I hope that sharing my story supports others to feel able to talk about how an illness can affect us physically and emotionally.
Highlighting my personal vulnerability can also hopefully help promote vulnerability-based trust at Pennine Care. Knowing work colleagues are going to be empathetic and compassionate if I’m struggling at any point makes a big difference.
Due to a series of events, it’s been an exceptionally difficult year.
I had terrible flu at the start of 2024 which resulted in being admitted to hospital. I always have my jabs but my underlying health conditions, which I’ve talked about previously, means I’m particularly vulnerable if I catch any viruses.
My mother, who had been in hospital over Christmas, was then put on end-of-life pathway and died in March.
I felt raw with grief.
Beatrice Adoma Gyamfi was 84 years old and had lived a full life, but the loss was overwhelming. She was the wind beneath my wings, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to go on without her.
I have wonderful children and grandchildren, and a close extended family but, as an only child, there was a strange loneliness knowing I that was now an ‘orphan’.
A few weeks after my mother died, I started to feel so ill.
I regret not seeing my doctor because I ended up being rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after collapsing from septic shock caused by the flesh-eating bug (necrotising fasciitis).
All my bacteria ‘had a coup’, as I describe it, which resulted in four different operations over April. I ended up in an intensive care unit for seven weeks, the first three weeks were in an induced coma on a life-support machine. I had a period of delirium whilst I was in there and a tracheostomy. When I could finally talk, my grandson said I sounded like a dalek.
This was followed by 10 days in a high dependency unit, three weeks on a ward and four weeks in a rehab unit before going home with physiotherapy and other support.
I can now walk in the house without aid, but still need support when walking outside.
Every day is getting better, and I can’t find the words to thank the NHS staff who saved my life and cared for me.
I saw incredible values in those teams, have a greater appreciation of staffing levels and what you can and can’t do with the right levels of staff.
I’m still having dialysis treatments for my ongoing underlying health issues and continuing on journey to ‘full recovery’ as its described. I don’t know what full recovery means to be honest, as the impact of what happened has hugely affected me emotionally and psychologically, not just physically.
I appreciate more than ever how important it is to look after our mental health and the power of kindness to ourselves, as well as others.
The tears, fears, shares, silence, and even moments of laughter about my experience are part of my recovery.
Thank you again for your wonderful support.
