The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Cured after he’s given just six months to live
A PENSIONER who went into a nursing home to die a year ago is going home to live with his wife after a remarkable return to health.
Tom Louis (78) was diagnosed with advanced vascular dementia by doctors in Peterborough City Hospital in March 2011.
The father-of-five had suffered a rapid breakdown in his health and overcame septicaemia, but was left without most of his mental and physical faculties and very bad foot ulcers, meaning he could not walk or talk.
His heartbroken family were told he would die in six months and he was admitted into Broadleigh Nursing Home, in Broadway, Peterborough, in May 2011 for end-of-life care.
But it turns out that the doctors had misdiagnosed his condition, which was actually a very severe reaction to long-term medication. Now one year on, he is walking with the aid of a frame, talking and preparing to return home with his wife Frances (69) on Bank Holiday Monday.
He said: “I am looking forward to going home - I might even help out with the washing up.
“I never thought I would be able to stand up again, I never thought I would be going home again. It is all just absolutely marvellous.”
Mr Louis, who ran a newsagents in the Hereward Cross Shopping Centre until he retired 13 years ago, has said the remarkable turnaround was due to the staff at Broadleigh.
He added: “Broadleigh has been wonderful for me. The staff are all lovely. I would never have got better without them.”
His wife Frances chose Broadleigh for his care because she had been impressed with its friendly atmosphere.
She said: “I never thought he would be leaving Broadleigh. When he first came in he couldn’t hold a conversation. He could always recognise us and greeted us cheerfully but he just wasn’t himself.
“Very gradually all signs of dementia disappeared and his feet ulcers were eventually healed with painstaking dedication by the nurses. But even when he started to get his mental faculties back he still needed hoisting in and out of bed.
“It’s only because of the perseverance of himself and the staff he has learned to walk again. There is no doubt that without the excellent nursing and caring skills, plus the stimulation provided by Broadleigh, he would not have achieved this.”
The home is run by manager Shamshad Marjara and her sons Ajay and Amar. Deputy manager Claire Carroll said: “This is the first time I have ever known someone to come in for end of life care and be released. We will miss him a lot - but obviously we are delighted.”