Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,350
In fact I'm sure I did.
One of me mates has been feeling pretty low for a year now; end of a fifteen year relationship, heart attack on Boxing Day (found near death on the Downs near his mountain bike by a dog-walker with darkness falling and the temperature dipping to zero) and then excruciating multiple kidney stones requiring hospitalisation. No job, no money, no nothing really.
Anyways, I was in the Canaries last week and called him up when I got back at the weekend for a pre-Xmas drink. No reply on moby or land-line, not on Monday through Thursday. Phoned around his other mates, nobody had seen him for weeks, they just thought he was feeling not very sociable this time of year. So I went round his flat, banged on the door a bit, asked his neighbour, who confirmed it was odd his bins were lying empty.
So... conquering the fear of making a complete prat of meself, I bit the bullet and called Brighton police. Told them I was a bit concerned. They phoned around the hospitals then went round his place. After much hammering on the door, they started to break it down, at which point he finally appeared. He was in a right old state, completely dehydrated, malnourished, hadn't washed, showered, changed clothes in weeks, Hadn't signed on or left the house to renew his heart medication. He'd had a complete breakdown basically and was starving himself to death.
I'd just like to say big cheers to the two lady police officers (maybe it was even one of NSC's finest) who treated him with care and compassion and took him straight up to the Sussex County. And equally big cheers to the nurses and doctors up there who are ensuring he's getting the help that he needs while he remains in such a vulnerable state.
I'm still pretty freaked about the whole thing to be honest. By the time I'd finished phoning round all his rellies and friends, never has a very large
tasted so good.
I do so like a story with a happy ending.
Cheers.
One of me mates has been feeling pretty low for a year now; end of a fifteen year relationship, heart attack on Boxing Day (found near death on the Downs near his mountain bike by a dog-walker with darkness falling and the temperature dipping to zero) and then excruciating multiple kidney stones requiring hospitalisation. No job, no money, no nothing really.
Anyways, I was in the Canaries last week and called him up when I got back at the weekend for a pre-Xmas drink. No reply on moby or land-line, not on Monday through Thursday. Phoned around his other mates, nobody had seen him for weeks, they just thought he was feeling not very sociable this time of year. So I went round his flat, banged on the door a bit, asked his neighbour, who confirmed it was odd his bins were lying empty.
So... conquering the fear of making a complete prat of meself, I bit the bullet and called Brighton police. Told them I was a bit concerned. They phoned around the hospitals then went round his place. After much hammering on the door, they started to break it down, at which point he finally appeared. He was in a right old state, completely dehydrated, malnourished, hadn't washed, showered, changed clothes in weeks, Hadn't signed on or left the house to renew his heart medication. He'd had a complete breakdown basically and was starving himself to death.
I'd just like to say big cheers to the two lady police officers (maybe it was even one of NSC's finest) who treated him with care and compassion and took him straight up to the Sussex County. And equally big cheers to the nurses and doctors up there who are ensuring he's getting the help that he needs while he remains in such a vulnerable state.
I'm still pretty freaked about the whole thing to be honest. By the time I'd finished phoning round all his rellies and friends, never has a very large
tasted so good. I do so like a story with a happy ending.
Cheers.
