A WOMAN has praised the care her husband received after walking him into a York hospital while he was suffering a heart attack when an ambulance was not available.

Graham Reagan, 60, says he owes his life to the NHS staff at York Hospital A&E department after they treated him following his heart attack.

His wife, Anna Wallace, a former BBC Radio York presenter, had earlier called 999 when Graham woke her up at around 2am at their home in Norton. She was told the nearest ambulance was 20 miles away from their home at the time but none were available due to the number of existing call-outs, so their son Charlie, 26, drove them to the hospital in York.

 

They parked up at the hospital's on-site multi-storey car park and Anna walked Graham for eight minutes to the hospitals's entrance while he was suffering from a heart attack.

When Anna took Graham into A&E she told doctors: "I think my husband is having a heart attack." The medical staff confirmed this and after being taken to the hospital's resuscitation area for initial treatment, he was transferred by ambulance to Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, Hull.

Graham, who works as assistant principal: Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) at Manor Church of England Academy, Nether Poppleton, York, was discharged from hospital on Wednesday, December 22 and is recovering at home.

York Press: Graham Reagan who suffered a heart attack on his walk into hospital in York

Mr Reagan, who also worked as a personal chef to pop stars including Madonna, Diana Ross and Elton John in the 1980s and '90s, suffered the heart attack in the early hours of Saturday, December 18.

He tweeted: "I owe my life to the fantastic NHS staff in York A&E and Castle Hill in Hull, despite no ambulance available and a pandemic they still are saving lives."

Anna, who has been married to Graham for 18 years, said: "It was scary.

"I completely got that there were no ambulances at the time, we live in Norton. No-one could get there any quicker. I woke my son up and he took us there.

"I walked him from the multi-storey car park, we went down Asylum Lane, followed the line painted as a pathway to A&E. It was an eight-minute walk.

"He was holding his chest and he burst into tears. It was at about 2.30am.

"Once we got to A&E, they were just incredible. They were fabulous.

"He is the love of my life, bless him. I said to the doctors at the hospital that I can't lose him. He is a fabulous man.

"It's life-changing for him. He will recover. He will have to adjust his life now."

York Press: From left, Charlie Reagan and his dad Graham, the latter who suffered a heart attack

Anna left BBC Radio York and has now retrained as a family and funeral celebrant with the UKSOC (UK Society of Celebrants). She is currently studying for a degree in mental health, counselling and education at York St John University.