This, is Dr George Gorrie. The man who saved my life. The one on the right that is. Not sure who the other one is, but i'm sure he's also pretty good as well!
This man played a pivotal role from this point on. Once they got me to the Glasgow Southern General for an MRI, and they managed to hold me still in the tube for long enough to get what they needed, it was him who made the diagnosis and told my wife and the rest of my family the gravity of the situation that I was in.
From my point of view, I don’t remember any of this. The first memories that I really have are a mish-mash of being in ward 67 in Glasgow Southern General hospital (now the Queen Elizabeth) for what seemed like an eternity, having chronic insomnia and a general lack of inhibition over that period; not that I was running about the ward with no clothes on or anything but the nurses in that ward still laugh whenever I drop in all these years later.
We don't realise it but nearly all of our jobs can potentially save someone's life. After all, a member of a street cleansing team could pick up a crisp packet that someone would've slipped on, hit their head and died. A bouncer could stop someone from getting into a club who might've got stabbed if they had got in. There are few of us though that know for sure that our actions saved someone's life. In addition to this, to know that no one else at that moment would've had the skills and knowledge to do so.
This man does know that, and the funny thing about it is that he took it all in his stride.
Although my antics in the ward (which I may tell you at some point) became the stuff of legend to those around me, it's interesting to see that some people can completely detach themselves emotionally from the circumstances, and just do their job. And I suppose that for these people, if they got emotionally caught up in things (or at least showed it), there's no way they could possibly do the job that they do.
I have seen him since, for check ups and things but I don't think i've ever taken the time to thank him for what he did. Come to think of it, I might fling him an email today! I'll do it and keep you (if there is any 'yous' out there?) posted on what, if anything comes back!