Yahoo Finance Stroke survivor finds ‘guardian angel’ who saved his life in street
A stroke survivor who collapsed on a street in Mayfair has tracked down the “guardian angel” who saved his life after an appeal on social media.
Mathew O’Toole, 47, was seated on a bench next to a coffee shop in Wigmore Street in central London, on 10 June, when he started to vomit and sweat.
A nurse who went by the name of Dani or Danielle, with a “kind face”, realised that he was having a stroke and stopped to help him, calling an ambulance.
In an attempt to find the passer by who had stopped to help, his wife, Georgina O’Toole, 44, shared a Twitter thread.
She wrote: “He started vomiting. Many people passed by. Many probably assumed that he was drunk or hungover. One lady stopped.
“She recognised the signs of a stroke, called the paramedics, and directed them to take him straight to UCH emergency stroke unit.
“If she hadn’t done that, we might not have him here today. Or things could have been a lot worse than they are.”
Following the social media appeal, the family have now managed to get into contact with Danielle.
Ms O’Toole said: “One of her friends saw the article and got in touch on LinkedIn, and said, you don’t know me but I know Danielle and this is her email address.
“I sent her a quick email last night to check she was the right Danielle, and she said yes she was, and she had been worrying ever since about what happened to him and was really pleased to know that he was ok.
“She said there was no need for any thanks, but it would be very nice to have a chat over the phone when we have some time. She came across as a very lovely person, over email as well as in person.”
Mr O’Toole appeared on BBC Breakfast on Sunday morning where he explained Danielle’s “amazing” heroism.
He said: “It’s just amazing. I just want to talk to [Danielle] about why, about how, about what I can do to support what she did, and how more people can just not walk on by, which is what she didn’t do.”
Ms O’Toole said that the family intends to do something to thank Danielle, such as making a donation to a charity of her choice.
She went on to add that they are intending to raise awareness about the fact that vomiting can be a sign of someone having a stroke.
Ms O’Tool explained: “I’ve had a lot of people say, yes, my partner or husband or dad vomited and people didn’t realise what it was, and some people said it got misdiagnosed as vertigo.
“Unfortunately some people who contacted me on Twitter, their loved ones didn’t survive and that really brings it home.
“Although we know the common side effects of a stroke, there can be lots of symptoms including vomiting, double vision, spinning, and nausea and I want to get that across and make sure that nobody passes on by.”
Guidance from the NHS ays the signs of a stroke can vary from person to person but can begin suddenly.
The main stroke symptoms can be remembered using the word FAST:
Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have drooped
Arms – the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm
Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you’re saying to them
Time– it’s time to dial 999 immediately if you notice any of these signs or symptoms
Additional reporting by PA
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