A bride's world was turned upside down when she was left paralysed weeks before her big day, but the Paisley woman has thanked staff at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) who saved her life.
Kathleen Swallow had already rescheduled her wedding five times due to Covid-19 restrictions and faced delaying it further when she was diagnosed with the potentially deadly Guillain Barre Syndrome on February 19.
The 33-year-old was suffering with a kidney infection when she became one of the 100,000 people who are diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome every year. It meant that the antibodies in her body started to attack her nervous system as opposed to the infection, leaving her paralysed from the knees down.
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It was thanks to the quick-thinking A&E doctor at the RAH that the rare condition was picked up early, meaning treatment was possible, the Record reports.
“To be honest, they saved my life,” Kathleen told the Paisley Daily Express. “I will be forever grateful to that doctor who first suggested it could be Guillain Barre.
"I lost my ability to walk and dress myself in the space of days. But I told the doctors and the nurses I am getting married one week from Saturday and from that point they were all working to see me get better.
“They were as determined as me to get me walking down the aisle.”
First, Kathleen needed a course of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) – a treatment made from donated blood that helps bring people’s immune system under control.
And with the neurology wards at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital full, staff at the hospital taxied a doctor from Glasgow to show nurses at the RAH how to administer the treatment.
And with five days of treatment complete, the nurses and physios on ward 10 launched operation wedding.
“I was paralysed from February 22-28 from my knees down,” Kathleen explained. “I started physio on February 27 and everyone from the nurses, to the doctors and the physios, were determined to get me walking down the aisle.
“Their support and care was second to none.”
She added: “Eddie, my fiancé, was amazing throughout the whole process and made sure I was okay every step of the way.
“He was also at the hospital so much he made good friends with the nurses as well.”
And on the night before the wedding, staff went above and beyond to try and recreate the atmosphere of the fancy hotel Kathleen had booked for her and her bridesmaids.
She said: “My sister-in-law came to the hospital and dyed my hair the night before, I did my fake tan and the nurses allowed my family to come in and we had a wee party.
“My friends also came up after and helped me decorate my crutches for walking down the aisle. They were always asking if I needed anything, they were just excellent.
“In the lead up to it they all wanted to see pictures of my dress, where I was getting married, they were all so invested in it. One of the domestics also gave me a six pence for good luck. They all went above and beyond.”
And on March 5, docs signed off on Kathleen’s one-day discharge from hospital.
She later walked down the aisle of the Corinthian – with the support of her crutches and her mum Alice Swallow and her sister-in-law Katie Eames.
Kathleen and Eddie, who met 10 years ago, tied the knot at the stunning Glasgow venue in front of very emotional friends and family.
“It was a lovely day,” Kathleen said. “At 9.15pm I hit a brick wall so I called it a day but not before I had a rave on the dance floor.
“When we got to the ward so many of the nurses had stayed behind to see us, they were all lining the corridor.
“They had decorated the room, there were balloons and banners. They had put an extra bed in the room to allow Eddie to stay. They made it really special to come back to, I couldn’t believe the effort they had gone to.
“The sister, Anne Thompson, who came up that morning and got me ready to leave, stayed behind that day to get everything organised for me, they all bent over backwards for me. I am so grateful.”
Going forward, Kathleen is now focusing on her recovery and is determined to get back on her feet in time for their planned honeymoon in New York in November.
She has the six months typically needed by Guillain Barre patients to fully recover.
Lorna Loudon, chief nurse for the Clyde sector of NHSGGC said: “On behalf of everybody at the RAH, and across NHSGGC, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Kathleen and Eddie, and to thank her for her kind words.
“It is always very gratifying to hear when our staff go that extra mile to support our patients and their relatives, and I would also like to thank all the staff on Ward 10, and all other staff who were involved in Kathleen’s care.
“While Kathleen’s story is a particularly lovely one, every day our staff go out of their way to help those in their care, without any expectation of thanks or acknowledgement, and all of them deserve our appreciation, and our thanks. All of us at NHSGGC wish Kathleen and Eddie the very best for their new life together.”
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