Stamford mum who couldn't remember family after 8-day coma "owes everything" to NHS
The NHS is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this week
A mum from Stamford who had to be placed in a coma after her body lost its ability to breathe, is thanking the NHS for helping her through the darkest period of her life.
Rebecca Copson was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in 2021 - a condition which breaks up communication between the brain and muscles.
After her breathing muscles stopped working, she was placed into a coma while at Peterborough City Hospital, before she was transferred to Addenbrooke's in Cambridge.
When she woke up after 8 days, she had delirium and couldn't remember she had a family:
'I couldn't remember that I was married, I said I had no children and that I looked after my mum, but my mum had passed away', Rebecca recalled.
'I would not be here without them'
Rebecca also caught pneumonia and sepsis whilst in hospital, and said she has the NHS to thank for bringing her through one of the scariest experiences of her life:
'I remember seeing one of the nurses downstairs and it was the first time I'd been out of bed. She just grabbed my hand and said to me "do you know you're amazing, you're doing so well."
'She could see the tears in my eyes and I could see the tears in her eyes, they're not robots - they're humans.'
She added: 'I wouldn't be here without them, I know that. They still treat me, and they're still trying to find something that works because Myasthenia is so rare. I owe everything to the NHS because I would not be here without them.'
The NHS will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Wednesday 5 July 2023.