Extra Nightingale courts to handle huge backlog
A 62-YEAR-OLD Glentoran football fan is walking from east Belfast to watch his team playing at Carrick Rangers this evening as a fundraising thankyou to the NHS for saving his life.
Stephen Beattie fell seriously ill a year ago and was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast as his family and friends who were not able to visit him because of Covid-19 restrictions feared the worst.
“I was having headaches for a while but nothing too serious,” said Mr Beattie. “But I got
progressively worse and after going to the Ulster Hospital I was transferred to the Royal where it was discovered I had a subdural haematoma, which is bleeding on the brain.
“However, I was very lucky. Neurologists worked their magic and amazingly I was back home within a few days.”
Mr Beattie, who lives in Newtownards, returned to his work at Royal Mail seven months later and he said he has decided to do the 12 mile walk to Carrick to express his gratitude to the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust’s team of surgeons, doctors and nurses at the RVH for
saving his life. In true football ‘you’ll never walk alone’ style Mr Beattie, who is hoping to raise at least £3,000 through a Justgiving fundraising page, will have company on his journey from the Glens’ Oval stadium in east Belfast.
He said: “I’ll be going to Carrick with Colin Davidson who is a Glentoran director and who is raising funds for a coronavirus emergency appeal on behalf of a food bank in Mersey Street.
Mr Beattie is a lifelong fan of Glentoran and several years ago he featured in the centre of a photograph of Glentoran fans celebrating a win at the Oval.