'Our hero 5-year-old saved her daddy's life - now we just want him home'
A Doncaster family say they are ‘desperate’ to get their husband and dad back home after their ‘lives were turned upside down’ when he suffered a stroke.
Dale, 48, was alone with his youngest daughter, aged five, when he collapsed on the bathroom floor at home. His wife, Sheena, 41, says she recognised the signs that Dale was having a stroke and called for an ambulance - but it was their youngest daughter who helped save his life.
“The stroke happened very suddenly - it was a Monday morning in August, just before work and he collapsed,” Sheena said. “Our five-year-old daughter was with him and we now call her our hero because she found Daddy and she saved him.”
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Dale was blue-lighted to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield where he was treated for the stroke and due to its severity, required a craniotomy. Dale was then moved into intensive care, before later being moved to the stroke and respiratory ward at Doncaster Royal Infirmary where Sheena says the team provided him with “incredible care”.
He has since been moved to Mexborough hospital , and is at the start of his rehabilitation journey. “He’s got a long road ahead of him, but he’s doing really well,” Sheena said. “It’s small steps at the moment and we’re taking everything one day at a time.”
Sheena says her and her daughters, aged five and 10, are “desperate” to have Dale back home. “Life has completely changed since this happened,” she said. “Dale is genuinely one of the world’s best people. He would help anyone - he’s so friendly and genuine.
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“We miss him terribly at home, and he wants to do the normal things - he wants to take his daughters to dance and swimming, he wants to make a family meal, he wants to sit with us. He misses taking the rubbish out, he misses the mundane, and we miss him as much as he misses us.”
Sadly, the family are yet to receive any news from doctors about when Dale might be able to return home. “There’s been no mention of anything like that from doctors yet - it’s just too soon,” Sheena said.
Family friend Fran Haley, who has known the couple for five years, has set up a GoFundMe page in order to help support Sheena and Dale through this difficult time. The money raised will help cover the costs of rehabilitation and physiotherapy treatment - some of which will have to be sourced privately.
Fran, 35, said: “Dale was otherwise fit and healthy before this happened, so it came as a complete shock when we found out. The family’s lives have been turned upside down.
“We just wanted to do anything that we could to help. Sheena had spoken to me about physiotherapy and how the more you can have, the better the chances of recovery for someone who has had a stroke, so I suggested setting up a GoFundMe.”
Within 24 hours of going live, the fundraiser had surpassed its £1,000 target and within 48 hours an incredible £9,750 had been raised.
Fran said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with how many people have already donated - it’s incredible. Initially Sheena thought I’d set the target [of £1,000] too high, but within the first day we’d already exceeded it.”
Sheena says that the support she and the family have received through both donations and messages of support has been a “beacon of light”. She explained: “The amount we’ve managed to raise is a testament to Dale and his personality - and it shows exactly how much he’s loved and how much he’s valued and brings to people’s lives that they want to him. I’m absolutely committed to spending that money on the rehabilitation he deserves.
“He’s only 48 - he’s got a whole life ahead of him and this money will be for whatever type of rehab he needs and deserves. He’s desperate for the treatment, and he’s so motivated to get better.
“And it’s not just about the money that people are donating - it’s the fact that people have taken time out of their day to send messages of support. I can’t even respond to them all but it’s made life feel a little bit less lonely knowing that we’ve got a whole army of people willing Dale and our family on. It’s been a beacon of light in a really difficult situation.”
To find out more about the GoFundMe page that has been set up for Dale and to donate, click here .