Florida brain haemorrhage man Brian Pellow thanks friends for support

Nov 5 2009 by Gemma Jaleel, Ormskirk Advertiser

AN ORMSKIRK man who suffered a brain haemorrhage while on holiday in Florida has said he is lucky to be alive.

Brian Pellow added that he was so grateful to all his friends and family including Dave Swarbrick, Mark Wissett and Tony Hasez, who held a fundraising evening for him at the Barrons in Burscough.

“They organised it under a veil of secrecy and I can’t thank them enough.”

Brian is still recovering after he became critically ill during a family holiday in June with his wife of 21 years, Marie and his parents Alma and Brian.

Brian said: “We had been staying on a villa and I went to bed because I had this massive headache.

“Marie came in about tea time to check on me. She found me unconscious and in a pool of blood.

“She shouted for my parents and they rang 911, the parame-dics came and I was taken to hospital were they took a CAT scan.”

Brian had to undergo an emergency operation but had to be airlifted by helicopter to another hospital in Florida.

“The operation lasted four and a half hours, it went okay but I had swelling on my eye socket and I was on life support for eight days in a critical condition.”

Brian had to stay in hospital for another week before being cleared to fly home.

As soon as he returned he became ill and was taken to the neurological unit at Walton Hospital.