Hurler Chris honours his hospital heroes
MAYO hurling hero Chris McCrudden has gone back to hospital to thank the medical team who saved his life after he suffered a serious head injury. Two years ago the Ballyhaunis man was given only a 10 per cent chance of surviving after a staircase fall.
His return to hospital was a more joyous occasion as he joined fellow former patients as the Beaumont Hospital Foundation welcomed them back as part of their continuing staff recognition and fundraising programme - Honour Your Heroes, which allows patients to pass on a message of appreciation to a hospital staff member, or team, in thanks for the care, they, or a loved one, received. The messages are displayed around the hospital and voluntary donations can be made to the foundation to fund patient care initiatives across the hospital.
The 31-year-old is a keen sportsman and is well known in Mayo sports circles, playing hurling for the Mayo team. In October 2012 his life was turned upside down when he slipped and fell down the stairs, hitting his head off the ground.
Chris remembers feeling alright when he got up, checking there was no cut or bleeding. He then continued into the sitting room and fell asleep on the couch.
The following morning he woke to see his sister and friends hugely panicked and frantically trying to revive him. There was blood coming from his ears and he had two black eyes.
He was brought to Mayo General Hospital where they tried to stabilise the swelling to his brain. Chris was then transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin by ambulance. Placed under sedation, he was admitted to intensive care and then to the high dependency intensive care as they waited for his family to arrive to give consent for surgery. His brother remembers being told that Chris had only a 10 per cent chance of surviving.
Chris’s brain had swollen inside his cranium and a scan showed he had an internal bleed at the back of his head. Surgery was performed to remove a piece of his frontal lobe to allow for the swelling. In all, he spent three months in Beaumont Hospital, fighting for his life, and eventually made sufficient recovery to be discharged to continuing rehab. Chris has made a complete recovery and has returned to playing for the county team.
Chris joined several other patients at Beaumont Hospital to show their appreciation for staff who have brought them safely through critical times. For more, see www.bhf.ie.