When Beatrice Way suffered a massive stroke on 21 July 2011, her husband Alexander remembers clearly thinking it meant the end of their dream to have a baby. That makes 1 June this year a very special time for the couple, as it’s when they’ll celebrate daughter Rosemary’s first birthday.

The summer of 2011 was also a special time for them; they’d just moved into a new home in a small village near Stanstead airport, Essex, and were keen to start the next stage of their lives together by becoming parents.

Beatrice, now 41, was upstairs getting ready while Alexander made coffee. When he heard her scream, he thought his wife had stubbed her toe or cut herself.

Alexander said: “When I got upstairs, it was unmistakable that it was a stroke, her face had slipped on one side and she was crumpled on the floor, trying to cry out but she couldn’t make a noise. I knew it wasn’t good and dialed 999.”

She was taken to the local hospital but the prognosis was bleak and staff began to talk to Alexander about organ donation.

However, their strong faith meant he wasn’t going to give up on his wife, so Beatrice was transferred to our specialist neurological unit for the region, at Queen’s Hospital.

There, our surgeon Hu Liang Low performed a hemicraniectomy, removing part of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain.

Forty per cent of Beatrice’s skull was removed in the operation – however, it was kept alive by being sewn into a skin pocket in her abdomen. Mr Low then carried out a further operation weeks later to put her skull back together.

Alexander added: “The doctors were excellent and we were really lucky to benefit from the facilities at the hospital. We are so grateful to Mr Low for saving Beatrice’s life.”

Beatrice spent nine months in hospital after her stroke, including several weeks’ rehabilitation in Cambridge. Due to paralysis on her left side, Beatrice uses a wheelchair for mobility. She was also left with epilepsy.

Her determination to recover has amazed her family. In 2013, she completed the Cancer Research race for Life, walking the entire 5km course aided by her physiotherapist and wearing an electric brace on her left leg.

She finished hours behind everyone else, drawing a crowd of supporters who cheered her on until the end.

As she recovered, Beatrice never lost her determination to become a mum, despite tragically experiencing several miscarriages.

The couple said Rosemary’s birth, six weeks early, was a miracle.

Alexander added: “We were praying for a baby and so many times we could have given up. It’s amazing Beatrice survived, and even more of a miracle that we have Rosemary.

“We hope that hearing our story will give other people hope.”

Beatrice’s operation

The operation to remove part of Beatrice’s skull, to later be put back in, is an old technique.

It fell out of favour due to the bone shrinking over time if left too long, or causing an infection risk if the operation was done too early. Mr Low has reintroduced the technique at Queen’s Hospital after our Trust was part of a multi-national study, the first of its kind in the world. The study found that if the second operation takes place within six weeks, there is no bone shrinkage and no increased risk of infection.

Patients also experience better outcomes if their own bone is used, rather than metallic plates.

 

Photo: Gill Shaw, www.gillshaw.co.uk