Aneira Thomas, the first baby born on the National Health Service tells LIZ PERKINS why she has more reason than most to be grateful for the 70-year-old healthcare system
HE adds: “I’m allergic to codeine, morphine, anything that contains opiate. One attack was triggered by taking Solpadeine and I only survived because a doctor nearby helped me. When I go into shock I get pins and needles in my mouth, my throat swells and my lungs can’t fill with oxygen. I now have to carry two EpiPens containing adrenaline with me all the time.”
In 2007 her son Kevin, 49, suffered the first of two brain haemorrhages. Eight years later her paramedic daughter Lindsey, 44, suffered an almost identical brain bleed which left her in a coma for two weeks at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, which also saved Kevin’s life.
Aneira, who lives in Loughor, South Wales, says: “I am so grateful to the doctors and nurses who saved my children. At the time Lindsey was ill I was told it was uncommon to have two siblings with the same thing. Fortunately GRATITUDE: Children Kevin and Lindsey survived brain haemorrhages later they pulled through and have made excellent recoveries. My son leads a normal life and my daughter is remarkable. She is only back at work thanks to the skill and commitment of the NHS.
“Aneurin Bevan was a visionary. I feel safe knowing the NHS is there.”
But at the age of 17, newly married to husband Dennis and expecting her first child, Aneira faced tragedy. “I’d never planned to get pregnant so young but my heart quickly overruled my head and I couldn’t wait to become a mum.”
She gave birth to Gary, her “perfect” baby boy – who weighed in at a healthy eight pounds. But almost as soon as he was born he was whisked away by the staff nurse. Days later Aneira was given the news that her son had died.
“I’d only be able to glance at his beautiful face for a few seconds and then he was taken from me. I was quite ill after the birth and then on the third or fourth day I was told that Gary had died.
“The staff nurse didn’t come over to the side of the bed to break the news, she stood at the bottom of the bed and the only other thing she said was that Gary wouldn’t have lived beyond the age of three.
“It was very cold-hearted but I accepted what she told me. Things were different back then. I’ve just never felt like I’ve had closure.”
Despite this heartbreaking experience Aneira says she will continue to defend the NHS “come what may”. But there’s no denying that amid staff shortages and record demand, it is in crisis today.
For its 70th birthday Prime Minister Theresa May announced an extra £20billion a year for the NHS in England by 2023, funded by a “Brexit dividend” plus a tax rise. This would be accompanied by a “10-year plan” overseen by doctors on where the money will be best spent.
Aneira, who lost her husband Dennis to a stroke in 2007 says she, for one would be prepared to give more cash. “A good sustainable health service means the difference between life and death,” she says. “I feel thankful they are going to T WAS at Park Hospital in Manchester where Bevan first set out his vision for the NHS which would bring all UK health providers together, offering “cradle to the grave” treatment for all.
Consultants, doctors and the Conservative Party were all fiercely opposed to the plan but the tide turned once the Labour-led London County Council – the biggest local authority – gave up its hospitals without a fight and people flocked for free treatment amid fears it would not be available for long.
Seventy years on, the NHS remains dear in the affections of the British public. And no more so than in Aneira’s. “Aneurin Bevan left us a legacy and I am privileged and immensely proud to be named after the great Welshman who changed lives, “she says. “We can never let the NHS slip away. It belongs to the public and touches everybody’s lives every day and we must never let it be dismantled.”