Mayor says thank you after medical drama

Tony Mepham was taken to A&E the Saturday before the Easter weekend after suffering from an elevated heart rate.

He was due to host a 1960s night when he became ill.

He said: “My heartbeat can go from normal to 70 beats per minute up to 200 bpm. I can usually get it back into normal rhythm myself, but that didn’t happen so my wife took me to A&E. They sedated me and administered shocks then gave me a CT scan.

“They found I had pneumonia. If your heart is going at 200, it can’t pump the blood around to where it needs to go.

“They decided to put me in an induced coma. They brought me out of the coma three days later.

“When I came round I spent a few more days in the hospital so I got to experience first hand what happens in intensive care.

“It is fantastic the level of dedication and care you receive from the doctors and nursing staff. It is something to be seen. I’d like to publicly thank them.”

He added his family also rushed to be by his bedside.

“On the Sunday morning, my wife telephoned our son in Australia and he got on the first plane out of Sydney,” he said. “It was more serious for a couple of days than I realised.”

He added the hospital staff were also under a lot of pressure and his experience showed how important the hospital was to the community in and around Banbury.

He said: “I don’t think the Horton should face cuts at all.

“Its catchment area goes into Northamptonshire and Warwickshire as well as north Oxfordshire.

“With more houses being built, we need a general hospital. We don’t need it to be downgraded.

“Looking at it from the point of view of a patient, we can’t accept any cuts especially with the motorway near here.

“I asked the hospital staff while I was there if they had any emergency procedures in place and they do.

“They practise these in case of a major incident like a plane crash.”

Mr Mepham added he was now on the road to recovery and he was due to undergo a few tests in the near future.

He said: “I can’t thank the hospital enough for all they have done. They did an excellent job.”

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