Sassy Ellie Babbling

When we were in school, if you fell sick - even if your temperature was 102F and rising - Matron would hand you half a paracetamol…and that was only if you had complained twice before. 

At home a good sign that you might need to speak to a doctor would be if you were bleeding from your eyeballs, and if a bone was sticking out then perhaps a trip to A&E was necessary, (but have dinner first). Other than that, harden up, wear a jumper and get some sleep - nothing wrong with you if you can still maintain eye contact! 

From this you can imagine how crap we all are at taking illness seriously. A headache is just a delayed hangover, a chest pain is just old age creeping up - Ha ha we’re so old! -  all that’s needed is a cut down of wine and a promise that ‘come Monday’ we’ll eat better. We’re in our early 30’s - totally fabulous! The best is yet to come! Who’s better than us!

Last Sunday one of our closest friends was hugging and kissing me hello, then 2 minutes later we were doing compressions on his chest, screaming at him to breathe. The minutes waiting on the ambulance to arrive were the scariest ever - and the time since has been a lesson in patience and strength. (Never in my life have I been so pleased to have watched every episode of ER - who says TV isn’t educational?)

We thought we had lost him. I can’t imagine a life without Jonny. He and his husband Michael are so integral to everyday existence that it sends chills up my spine even contemplating it. 

With promises to take up religion and silent prayers towards anything that might be listening, we all huddled, whether we were in Belfast or beyond, and refused to relax until his eyes opened. Thankfully after 3 terrifying days he woke up, and since then he’s coming round more. I always thought that ‘fighting spirit’ was just a cheesy thing to say, but he’s amazed us with his - literally the fight of his life, and he won. Slowly he’ll get better, hopefully this is the worst over. 

Michael and Jonny’s family must have been screaming internally throughout, but they’ve been solid - a hugging machine team -  I can only imagine the relief they feel.Their patience and understanding towards so many of us who love Jonny will never be forgotten. I hope we can all repay them with support as he recovers. 

It’s been a wake up call though. If a fit 33 year old can have a heart attack, then surely anything can happen.

If you’re concerned about any aches or pains, or just haven’t had a check up in a while then don’t worry about  possible hypochondriac jokes or wasting the doctors time - what’s bad about being told there’s nothing wrong? Don’t know CPR? Take a class - you might save a life.

We’re the generation who were taught to Get Things Done - Don’t let your phone out of sight, be available for work 24/7, laugh about how stressful life is and how insomnia is the least of your worries. That’s all bullshit - nothing is more important than your health, and I for one won’t be taking it for granted again.