It was a Sunday like everyone else in the house. despicable he had just finished preparing the food when he felt strange tingling from head to toe, followed by intense pain. “It felt like someone was squeezing my skull,” the woman recalled. It was the beginning of a great one a near-death experience that would change his life forever.

At just 39 years old, the British woman from India believes she is suffering from a heart attackalthough it was later discovered that he had bleeding in the brain.

Headache, tingling and medical confusion

That week in December 2018, Hina called an ambulance, but the emergency workers only prescribed painkillers. Her symptoms are headache, she vomits.

“After a terrible night I decided to visit my doctor, because I suspected it was due to my hypertension,” said the first person woman at meters.

Something made the doctor fuss and he ordered a scan at Princess Royal University Hospital, because I suspect something very dangerous. Unfortunately, he was right.

“I was diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) and they sent me by ambulance at 9:00 that night to Kings College Hospital, for emergency surgery,” it was clear who until then had no idea how serious the situation was and thought only of his young children.

“I went through a brain ‘rolling’, where insert the coil into the brain aneurysm to prevent it from breaking or growing. Two surgeries about two weeks later, I went home and they let me process what happened to me,” he added, still in disbelief.

And he continued his story to make himself understand: “I was scared because I could die and really hopeless about the future. One more bleeding in the brain and it will happen. ‘Sayonara, Mrs Sharma’. I’m tired, physically and mentally.”

Work decisions and changes in your life

Her husband has to take full responsibility for the household, apart from managing his work, while the mother came from India to England to take care of her.

After weeks of sleeping and noticing every change in my body, he realized he couldn’t live like this anymore. It seemed like he was just waiting for the next medical disaster to unfold. He must take responsibility for his life and its changes.

That’s how he tries breathing exercises, meditation, walksall the activities that help calm him down and make him reflect on his new situation.

“The recovery journey is never linear. Countless challenges appear along the way and find the right health information and support,” he said.

Despite having the support of his family and doctors, he felt anxious and insecure, and that was when he thought of the number of people who they have no choice but to face the disease alone or with very little support.

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Your mission in charity

So it’s a click. She left her food brand marketing career and join a charity Mercy in Death (Compassion in Dying), which prepares people to control decisions about their care and treatment, supporting them to discuss, plan and record their desires when living with the condition long term. or prepare for the end of life.

“I saw the advert on LinkedIn and found it very interesting. Instead of encouraging people to buy groceries, I now support people like me who have been hit hard by their health. I use my own journey to help them navigate and restore control over their lives.” their lives,” Hina explained about her role.

So since February 2021 he launched the service Peer Navigator at charities, where she offers support to anyone who has received a new diagnosis or is living with a long-term condition.

“It’s about empowering people, helping them to accept your situation, talk to your family and doctor and plan your next steps.”determine.

Support people with various diagnoses, from cancer to chronic disease. Many people even reach out when they have a diagnosis and are waiting for an appointment, an anxious period that can last for weeks.

Breast cancer case

Hina recounted in the British media the case of a woman with a breast cancer diagnosis. She is waiting for her turn and is not even sure if she will be offered treatment because of her age. “The news was sudden, I was very anxious and overwhelmed,” he said.

Together they reviewed the various thoughts and doubts the woman had about what was to come. It prepared and recommended for your medical appointment about any questions you may be asked.

“It strikes me how the simple act of supporting and preparing someone has such a big impact. They recovered some of the control their illness had taken“, he insisted.

It’s also his job to emphasize that there’s no one place where you can get all the support: it can come from your family doctor and work through Human Resources, for example.

And determined to consider: “Like me, many need help manage new and unexpected symptoms. Others need support for reduce stress and anxiety caused by news of new diagnoses and long waiting periods”.

What Hina never imagined was that suffering a haemorrhage in the brain would be one of the greatest lessons life would teach her. And that today or today turns into helping others.

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