In this new BBC series, Si returns to the North East to retrace a period where the NHS was critical in saving his life.
Five famous faces with a very personal reason to thank the NHS go back to the hospitals that mean so much to them in order to meet patients and staff.
Si returns to the North East to retrace a period where the NHS was critical in saving his life.
In 2014 he walked into the medical ward with a headache and vision problems. He thought he’d be sent home with a bottle of pills but when the nurse ordered a lumber puncture, it soon became clear that it was a lot more serious. Si was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and was rushed to surgery. The procedure was known as ‘an occlusion’ and it the aim was to relieve pressure on Si’s brain and stop the bleeding.
The vast majority of people who get such a diagnosis either die or suffer permanent disabilities after their operation, so when Si awoke afterwards with only confusion he was extremely lucky. So much so that he hasn’t really looked back, instead choosing to get on with life and in the years since his aneurism. And that’s left him feeling a little guilty that he hasn’t taken time to properly reflect on what happened - and what could have happened - or to say thank you properly. Well that changes in this programme.
Si returns to the Emergency Ward and the Neurology Department to meet patients are going through what he went through and the staff, who are helping them get back on their feet - literally in some cases.
Tuesday 17th July at 9:15am on BBC One.
