Entry in online diary: Thank you for saving my husband's life

Update: 10 August 2004

Alan is continuing to make excellent progress. For most of last week he was terribly confused and it was thought he’d sustained brain damage due to being on the heart/lung bypass machine.

Today was a huge turning point – he’s no longer confused and has almost returned to his normal self. From what I’ve been told there is no damage to his brain – unless he doesn’t get the use of his right arm and leg back totally, but even they are making vast improvements every day and very soon he will be back on his feet and off on walk­abouts around the hospital corridors! His memory is improving and he is becoming more alert every day.

I just know he is going to be fine; he’s rec­overing pretty quickly now. At this rate, he will be out of hospital in a few weeks’ time and we will be able to get on with our lives, although I’m sure he will be ‘tied’ to the hospital for a while afterwards. A small price to pay for Mr Bonser giving him his life back.

All of this is beyond our wildest dreams. When he comes out of hospital he won’t have the threat of this aneurysm hanging over him – I can’t imagine how that will make him feel – FREE I suspect! I know how it makes me feel – totally relieved! Mr Bonser said that he’s fixed Alan’s aorta and if anything else should happen then he can fix it internally without having to open him up again.

He also transplanted a new artery into Alan’s kidney to make it work better – he hasn’t even been on dialysis! Once he’s recovered he will be in better shape than he was four years ago. He has certainly come through the worst of it now and the light at the end of the tunnel is shining for us.

Mr Bonser came to see Alan tonight and is very pleased with his progress. I took the opportunity to thank him in person for saving my husband’s life … to which he replied, ‘It’s my pleasure.’

It would seem this horror story is going to have a happy ending! Thank you all for staying with us through this and making your prayers heard.

God bless.