TOM'S VIGIL
MAYORESS RUTH SUFFERS HOLIDAY HEART ATTACK MAYOR AT HER BEDSIDE IN SINGAPORE
Gold Coast Mayoress Ruth Tate has emerged from an induced coma after suffering a massive heart attack in Singapore. Mrs Tate was en route to Europe for a holiday with the Mayor when she collapsed at Changi Airport last Thursday. Tom Tate has been at her bedside since and said his wife was expected to make a full recovery.
MAYORESS Ruth Tate was just minutes away from boarding a flight to Europe when she collapsed without warning in the middle of a busy boarding lounge.
Mrs Tate, 59, experienced a serious cardiac arrest while walking though Singapore’s Changi Airport hand-in-hand with her husband, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.
The heart attack was so serious medical staff performed an “emergency evacuation” to Changi General Hospital where Mrs Tate was placed in an induced coma.
She woke yesterday and is expected to make a full recovery.
Cr Tate has remained by his wife’s side constantly during the medical crisis and is yet to set a date to return to Australia.
The Tate family was yesterday inundated with messages of support from fellow civic leaders and the public after news of the mayoress’s health became public.
Supporters took to the Mayor’s official Facebook page where they wished Mrs Tate well.
Cr Tate, in a statement from Singapore, thanked the public for the messages of support.
“The Mayoress suffered a cardiac arrest while in transit at Singapore late last week. I thank everyone for their well wishes and we are blessed that she is making a full recovery,” he said.
“We expect to return home to the Gold Coast in the near future.’’
The Tates flew out of Brisbane last Thursday morning on a Qatar Airways flight to Singapore for what was expected to be a six-hour layover before travelling on to Rome.
The couple had planned a “self-funded” study tour and holiday, with a cruise of the Mediterranean to observe its cruise ship terminal infrastructure.
Cr Tate is the chief backer of a proposed $450 million oceanside cruise ship terminal off The Spit.
During the layover, the Mayor is understood to have taken a short tour around Singapore before returning to the airport and had a meal at a corporate lounge.
It is understood the Mayoress was in good spirits before collapsing and there was no hint of the drama that was to come.
Before the emergency the couple had planned to return to Australia on July 7 but it is now likely they will make the trip before that. They will not proceed to Europe.
Throughout the crisis, Cr Tate has remained in constant contact with Acting Mayor Donna Gates and council chief executive Dale Dickson.
Cr Gates yesterday issued a statement to all councillors informing them of the situation.
“The Mayor has asked me to let you know that on Thursday 22 June at 8.30pm Singapore time, en route to Rome, the First Lady of this city, our Lady Mayoress, suffered a cardiac arrest and had an emergency evacuation to Changi General Hospital,” Cr Gates wrote.
“The good news is that the Mayoress is out of an induced coma and on her way to a full recovery.”
The Tates have been married for 37 years after meeting while students at the University of NSW.
Together, the couple have four children and have lived on the Gold Coast for more than 25 years.
Friends say they are devoted to each other.
I THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR WELL WISHES AND WE ARE BLESSED THAT SHE IS MAKING A FULL RECOVERY GOLD COAST MAYOR TOM TATE