Mum collapsed at wheel with son in car - wakes up three weeks later in hospital
A mum missed Christmas while in a coma after collapsing at the wheel of her car with her young son strapped in the back.
Shelly Gill had no memory of the accident in December last year and woke up three weeks later in hospital. The mum of three had taken her son Theo to Arrowe Park Hospital for a routine appointment in December last year. But moments later Shelley collapsed at the wheel of her car and was rushed into the intensive care unit with a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Shelly, from the Woodchurch on the Wirral told the Liverpool Echo the last thing she remembered before waking up in hospital was a stranger asking if she could have her car park space. Shelly has since met the stranger who has helped her to "piece together the gaps in her memory" to uncover what happened.
She wants a better Christmas for her children this year (Liverpool Echo)"I was totally unaware but two aneurysms in my brain had ruptured, I was assessed and blue lighted over to The Walton Centre where I had emergency surgery. They found I had four aneurysms in total. They had me in an induced coma and tried to wake me four times.
"They told my older sons, Arron and Kieran, that the fifth time would be my last. They said even if I was woken then I could have brain damage. On December 29 I woke up in hospital with no memory of what had happened."
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When she woke from the coma Shelly could not walk or talk. She was told she had also had a stroke at the same time as the haemorrhage. She has since learnt to walk and talk again but said she has issues with her memory and struggled to remember what had happened five minutes earlier.
She added: "My brain can get fatigued. I feel okay and look okay so it can be hard to hear why I can't do something." Despite this Shelly continues to make a recovery that has even left healthcare professionals amazed. She said the doctors have said they have never known someone to make a recovery like she has.
She has received treatment on her two other aneurysms, most recently in September, and will remain under observation until March. Just this week she also made contact with the stranger who found her slumped at the wheel after she put out a post on Facebook.
The post was shared hundreds of times and allowed Shelly to track down the life-saving stranger. The pair will meet next week. Shelly said: "We were texting all day and I was just crying.
"She told me she had had a bad year so I hope I have helped her realise things can get better. After I put out the request so many people were getting in touch with me. I want to tell my story so people who might be in a similar situation can see that there is hope. You can make a recovery."
Despite her ongoing recovery, Shelly recognises how traumatic the past year has been, particularly for her three children. She said: "I think it's been particularly difficult for my older sons as they met with the consultants and heard how not one of them thought I was going to survive.
"They have been very protective of me over the past year. They've heard the brain aneurysms are hereditary so I've told them to go and get checked. It's better knowing and getting the treatment done instead of waiting and not knowing.
"My youngest Theo did not know what happened in the car. He sometimes asks if I'm sick but his face lit up when I said I would be here for Christmas. I can't wait for a normal Christmas - I have gone above and beyond this year. I just want it to be perfect."
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