Karen is worried. Her neighbour, Chris (short for Christine), has missed a regular coffee date with a friend earlier this morning. Her house is in darkness. The curtains are still closed. Karen gets spare keys from a neighbour and together they open the door to Chris’s house.
They find Chris upstairs on the ground next to her bed. It’s not clear how long she has been there. She is still breathing. Karen, an experienced physiotherapist, suspects Chris has had a stroke. She can’t speak and is paralysed down one side. They quickly call an ambulance.
Sep 10, 2020 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Michael, from Carrigtwohill, is rushed to CUH in an ambulance.He has a temperature, a cough and difficulty breathing. He is extremely unwell. He is diagnosed with COVID-19. He is placed on a ventilator almost as soon as he arrives and, critically ill, moved to intensive care.
Over the coming weeks the intensive care and respiratory teams keep him alive. His condition is compounded by kidney failure, requiring dialysis under the expert care of the renal team. If things weren’t serious enough, Michael then suffers a stroke.
May 1, 2020 • 15 tweets • 3 min read
Roger is from Cork. He is 17 years old. He is finding this lockdown boring. It means he can't train or play with his soccer club, Douglas Hall, nor his GAA club, Nemo Rangers.
Roger's lazy Saturday afternoon is about to change in a dramatic way.
Roger's mother, Derbhile, wanders into the sitting room where he has been whiling away the day. To her horror, she finds him collapsed on the ground. He can't move. He can't speak to tell her what's wrong. Terrified, she immediately calls 999.
Jan 7, 2020 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
"Mammy's not well"
5 year old Priya has FaceTimed her Dad, Damian, using the family iPad. Damian is on his way to work. It's been a busy few weeks for the family. His wife Mary, 35, is at home with their daughter and new 2 week old baby, Noah.
It's two days before Christmas.
Horrified, Damian sees from the iPad that his daughter is holding, that his wife Mary has collapsed to the ground. She is not moving. She can't speak. He quickly calls family members who live next door. They race to the house, calling an ambulance along the way.
