MELBOURNE grandmother Jacqueline Wilson has been reunited with one of the Mornington Peninsula paramedics who saved her life after she suffered a stroke one year ago.
On June 5 last year the then 55-year-old suddenly collapsed in the driveway while on a supposedly relaxing weekend away in McCrae while caring for her disabled cousin.
When she regained consciousness, she was unable to talk or move her right side. Wilson said her main concern was the wellbeing of her cousin whose motorised wheelchair had tipped, causing her to fall.
Her husband, Bill, said luck was on their side that day as neighbours saw her on the ground and the upturned wheelchair and quickly called triple zero.
“There are a lot of holiday houses and not many people around but the neighbours happened to be out the front,” he said.
“Half an hour earlier she would have been passed out inside and half an hour later she would have been driving. We’re very lucky.”
Despite experiencing one of the scariest moments of her life, Wilson said she felt safe while she and her cousin were treated by Ambulance Victoria paramedics and taken to hospital.
Bill was at home in Epping when the incident happened and said from the moment he answered the paramedic’s call he knew his wife was in safe hands.
“They were fantastic to me in the hospital and they reassured me that everything was going to be okay,” he said.
“While your head is spinning a million miles an hour, they create a sense of calm.”
After three days in Monash Medical Centre, Jacqui was able to return home without requiring rehab, with Bill saying she is the same woman she’s always been.
“The fact the paramedics did their job so beautifully means I have my wife next to me, the only thing that’s changed is sometimes a word doesn’t come through,” he said.
Ambulance Victoria’s acting senior team manager Bec Michau said every minute mattered when treating a stroke patient.
“When a person experiences a stroke about two million brain cells die every minute, so time is of the essence and every second counts,” she said. “Time saved is brain saved.”
First published in the Mornington News – 13th June 2023
