This is the heartbreaking image of a selfless community stalwart who for 30 years has given her heart and soul to helping the hungry and homeless.
For the last six weeks, 79-year-old cancer survivor Cathie Curran has not had a bed to lie in after she was discharged from hospital without a proper care plan in place.
Suffering daily from excruciating pain and discomfort from associated health problems, Cathie has - for 48 days - been forced to sleep in a chair at home.
Speaking exclusively to the Lanarkshire Live, the former Loaves and Fishes food bank lynchpin said: “I’m in agony, I cry every night - I have no quality of life.”
Husband Denis - a prolific anti-poverty campaigner who won an MBE for his tireless work as chairman of Loaves and Fishes - blasted his wife’s desperate situation as “evil”.
He told us: “For a 79-year-old woman to be sleeping in a chair in 2023 is evil considering the work that she’s done.
“Cathie gave 30 years of her life to this country, she put her life and soul into Loaves and Fishes.
"If it wasn’t for her, the charity wouldn’t have lasted - she was the driving force behind it.
“On February 6 we’ll be 58 years married and my wife hasn’t got a bed to sleep in.”
Denis and Cathie have helped countless families in East Kilbride and Glasgow, changing lives for the better and providing a glimmer of hope to those in despair.
His impassioned plea to a Scottish Parliament committee in 2014 to end the need for food banks went viral.
They retired through ill health in 2021 but their lasting legacy lives on as the charity’s vital work continues in the town.
Lanarkshire Live can reveal Cathie received a hospital bed to her home three days after we contacted NHS Lanarkshire with her complaint.
Soumen Sengupta, director at South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, told us: “We are sorry this patient feels they have not received the support they need.
"We can confirm our teams are aware of this case and are liaising with the person directly to address their concerns.
“We understand that many of the national challenges facing our local services are the cause of significant frustration and anxiety amongst the public, but we would like to reassure our communities that our committed staff and partners continue to do their utmost to keep people safe and to deliver the best care possible during the current challenges.”
Cathie, who is in remission from vulval cancer after a diagnosis in 2013, claims the health problems she is suffering now are the result of a hospital blunder six years ago.
Now unable to walk without the aid of a zimmer, Cathie told us her life has been ruined by a "botched operation" at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary in 2017.
After being "put through the mill" undergoing multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy at the Beatson and being given the all clear, Cathie claims she was operated on without her consent for a suspected tumor when a shadow appeared during a final check-up.
The couple said they were under the impression the procedure was a second biopsy.
An abscess was discovered during the procedure, which Cathie claims has left her with one large hole down below causing her “never-ending” health problems.
She was discharged from Wishaw General on December 12, alleging there was nothing more that could be done for her.
Cathie added: “Every day I was fighting with nurses and doctors to get kept in the hospital to get this sorted.
“I had no knowledge an operation was carried out on me. I was told the surgeon had made a mess of me and there was a big hole left, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“And it didn’t heal, it was just left. I’m in agony, it nips constantly.
“Six years it lay there. These things grow and grow and get poisoned, it could have killed me.”
Cathie continued: “Every few weeks I had a urine infection. But I couldn’t get seeing a doctor because of COVID.
“My whole life is ruined over someone’s stupidity and I’ve had no apology for what’s happened to me.
“Before this we were all over Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and now I can’t even go out the door for the damage that’s been done to my body.
“I should have been left well alone.”
Backing Cathie’s claims, Denis added: “The problems we’re having are unbelievable. She’s been through the mill.
“She was made a mess of and now can’t do anything but sit in a chair all day.
“She has no quality of life. She doesn’t sleep, she’s wincing and crying in constant pain all the time. I’m angry she can’t even get a bed to stretch out.
“We don’t know how this could have happened, all we know is she has been left in one mess.”
The couple hope that Cathie’s situation can be alleviated with a stoma bag, but they’re unsure if she will be strong enough to go through the operation.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde added: “NHSGGC is committed to ensuring the best possible care and treatment for its patients.
“We are sorry to hear of Mrs Curran’s experience and while we cannot discuss individual cases, we would welcome the opportunity to speak with her and investigate any concerns she has.”
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
