Stroke victim John’s high achievement as he thanks Royal Hallamshire staff

John Webb, 58, from Totley, has thanked the team who treated him by sending them a video from the top of one of the UK’s highest mountains, Mount Snowdon.

Sheer grit and determination has enabled John to climb the highest peak in Wales, after suffering a serious stroke, which initially left him unable to walk at all.

But after treatment at the Acute Stroke Unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, followed by rehabilitation at the Stroke Pathway Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC) and at home with the community stroke service, he was able to complete the challenging solo hike.

At the summit, he recorded a video to thank the team who had helped him recover.

He said: “I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that looked after me and said I could do this thing.

“Less than four months ago I couldn’t even walk, and here I am at the top of Snowdon, which is all down to you guys. The doctors, nurses, physios, everyone that has helped me - I appreciate you so much and I just wanted to let you know that.”

John, of Totley, Sheffield, suffered the stroke, which was caused by a split in a vein, in early March.

He said: “It was the middle of the night and I woke up feeling like my nose was going to explode, and I was going to have a nosebleed. Then it calmed down and I went back to sleep. But in the morning I just could not get out of bed. I was incredibly dizzy and I told my wife to call the ambulance.

“I thought it was vertigo, but I had a scan at the hospital and they told me it could be a stroke. It was a shock because I still think of myself as relatively young and active guy at 58, but I am a very positive person and although I could not sit or stand at that point, I still had my faculties and I felt like I would be okay.”

You can see John celebrating his achievement at the top of Snowdon at www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ4ZRf_o-MM&feature=youtu.be.