Man who fell sick at work 'was four minutes away from losing his life’
Friends and family of a Queensland man have an anxious wait to see if he will fully recover after a burst aorta left him four minutes from death.
Ryan Francis, 26, from Townsville, was at work on October 3 when he complained of feeling unwell. Just minutes later, he was rushed to hospital where he underwent open heart surgery.
“It was quite devastating and shocking, especially to happen to someone so young and out of the blue as he had no signs of poor health,” close friend Kurtis Ritchie told Yahoo7 News.
The surgery lasted a gruelling six hours and was plagued by severe complications. During the surgery he suffered a stroke and then a seizure after being placed in an induced coma.
Mr Francis, an electrician by trade, suffered a tear to his aorta – a genetic condition which has only previously affected older members of his family.
Doctors said if it weren’t for the quick actions of his family and paramedics, he may not have made it.
“Ryan was within four minutes of losing his life,” Mr Ritchie said.
He was in the induced coma for two weeks before being brought around by doctors.
While Mr Francis’ heart is recovering well, he suffered damage to the brain from the stroke.
“His brain is damaged so he is learning to walk and talk again.”
His friend revealed the life-changing incident was a massive shock to those closest to him, with Mr Ritchie describing him as fit and healthy young man.
“He’s your average Aussie young fella, loved keeping fit at the gym, hanging with his mates or girlfriend who he met whilst he was living in the UK and they moved back here,” he revealed.
Long road to recovery
After describing Mr Francis as “the one mate you knew if you needed something he’d do it”, Mr Francis knew he had to take action to try and help out his peer.
He began fundraising on behalf of Mr Francis’ family, setting up a GoFundMe page to help contribute to the costs of his spiralling medical expenses.
“We want to give him the best chance of recovery and see him return to his old self,” Mr Francis wrote on the fundraising page.
“He will need financial aid with, nurses, physio, speech therapy, learn how to walk and talk again and eventually possibly home nurse visits and care.”
While he Mr Francis has a long road to recovery and is taking it day by day, the friends and family are convinced he can pull through and make a full recovery.
“We all know Ryan is a fighter,” Mr Ritchie said.
