A mum who lost her unborn child and her husband within weeks of each other is now raising their daughter alone.
Clair Gubb, from Port Talbot, Wales, was pregnant when her husband Tony suffered a stroke while driving to work.
He was rushed to hospital after beeping his horn and veering off the road to protect other drivers, WalesOnline reports.
Clair was heartbroken when her husband died two days later - and she believes the grief and stress contributed to her miscarriage.
She recalled that Tony's last words to her before he left for work on the day of his stroke were 'Love you loads babe, see you later'.
Tony, who died aged 47, one of those people who could make absolutely anybody laugh.
He was a dedicated husband and father and was always there for his family and friends - many of whom would go to him for support and advice before they'd contact anybody else.
They knew they could turn to Tony, who would turn to Clair, to help them at any time of day or night.
That's how his loving family have remembered him, two months after his passing.
Sadly, Tony, who had previously seemed very healthy, died in August after having two strokes in six months.
Whilst her loss is still very raw, Tony's wife Clair has since shared a beautiful tribute to him and bravely spoken out about what happened to her husband, in support of World Stroke Day - October 29, 2021.
Many people are familiar with 'FAST,' an acronym for the main symptoms of stroke, F for facial drooping, A for arm weakness and S for speech difficulties (with 'T' standing for 'time to call 999'); but Clair said Tony didn't initially show any of these symptoms.
She wants to warn people that strokes can manifest themselves in different ways for different people - and is urging people to get anything they're worried about checked out by a GP.
Explaining what happened to her husband, Clair said: "Everybody liked Tony, everybody got on with Tony and people would go to him for help.
"We met through a mutual friend, it took us a while to get together, but as soon as we were together we were a proper courting couple and we were practically inseparable!
"In February, he woke up one morning and he said: 'Babe, I can't see!' He had diabetes so I thought it must be something relatable to diabetes. I contacted the doctor, through the AskMyGP service, and they said he needed an emergency opticians appointment. I rang all the opticians, I called Bridgend, Neath and Port Talbot and no-one would help. Eventually, a SpecSavers said he could have an appointment."
During the appointment, Tony had a seizure, Clair said. But at the time, the opticians didn't realise and thought he was just being "uncooperative".
After coming home from the appointment, Tony had two more seizures and Clair called 999. With no ambulances available, she had to take Tony to A&E by taxi, she said.
While at reception in Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Tony had another seizure and nurses immediately rushed him through to a ward to assess him.
"As we got into the hospital, he had a massive seizure," Clair said. "The nurses came running and said his blood pressure was through the roof! They wondered if he was epileptic, but his seizures were completely different to that.
"He was seen by a neurologist and at 4am that night, they called for a CT scan and found a slight bleed on the brain. The following day he had another seizure and then he had an MRI scan and they [doctors] thought he'd had a slight stroke. He was kept in hospital but wasn't in a stroke ward.
"He had another scan and they found a blockage in the carotid artery [in the neck], he was sent home and told to come back a few days later. When we came back, they said they couldn't operate on the blockage in the neck because he could possibly be classed as high risk. They said they'd discuss it and get back to us."
Tony was later discharged from hospital and was making a good recovery. Things for the family were looking up and Tony had returned to work.
Then, Clair suffered a heart attack, another medical emergency to befall the family.
Thankfully, she survived and whilst the couple supported each other through it - and soon had the wonderful news that Clair was pregnant - things took a turn for the worst when Tony suffered his second stroke.
Clair said: "He'd recovered and had gone back to his day job and was leaving for work and he said: 'Love you loads babe, see you later'. That's the last words he said to me."
While driving to work, Tony had a stroke at the wheel.
Fortunately, he was able to sound his horn and veer his car off the road so no-one was injured, but he was taken to hospital by ambulance.
Police arrived at Clair's door to tell her what had happened and soon took her to the hospital to see Tony. She found him in a coma on a ward in Bridgend, shortly before he was transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
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After assessing Tony, doctors at Southmead advised he'd need a craniotomy - an operation in which part of the skull is removed - to save his life, as his stroke had been so severe that medics believed Tony would be left permanently disabled or would likely die within a few hours without it.
After checking with Tony's family, Clair consented to the surgery and Tony was whisked off to the operation.
But during the craniotomy procedure, Tony's previous bleed on the brain returned. He woke up from surgery vomiting and unable to communicate. Doctors called Clair, who came rushing to the hospital.
She was by his side when he passed away on August 11, 2021, two days after his second stroke.
Sadly, she had a miscarriage shortly after Tony's passing. She believes this may have been related to her grief and stress.
Paying tribute to her devoted husband, Clair added: "It's only been a couple of months since I lost Tony and everything is still so raw for us all. Tony was such a loving husband. Mollie was his world and he loved nothing better than spending time as a family.
"Without him, every day is such a struggle and I still find it difficult to accept he's no longer here. We’re absolutely devastated. But I know I have to push forward as best I can for Mollie. I now have to be both parents for her, and it breaks my heart that she will grow up without him and that he will never get to see her as she goes through life and gets married.
"There is nothing I would love more than to turn back the clock and for Tony to still be with us, but I know that’s not possible. All I can hope for now is that by sharing our story, I can maybe save someone else's life by raising awareness of how dangerous a stroke can be. I wouldn’t want another family going through what we are."
Clair has since instructed lawyers to look into the care her husband received.
Specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, Elise Burvill said: "The past few months have been incredibly tough for Clair as she tries to come to terms with losing her husband so suddenly. Prior to Tony’s death, they were a happy family and now Clair is left raising their daughter alone.
"We’re now investigating Tony's care and will continue to support Clair and her family through this difficult time. We join her in marking World Stroke Day and raising awareness of the signs of the condition and how early detection and treatment are key."
What are the symptoms of a stroke?
From the Stroke Association:
Stroke strikes every five minutes in the UK. It can happen to anyone, of any age, at any time. It's vital to know how to spot the signs of a stroke in yourself or someone else.
Stroke is a medical emergency. The FAST test can help you recognise the signs.
- Facial weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
- Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms?
- Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
- Time to call 999: if you see any of these signs.
Other symptoms of a stroke
The FAST test helps to spot the three most common symptoms of stroke. But there are other signs that you should always take seriously. These include:
- Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, including legs, hands or feet.
- Difficulty finding words or speaking in clear sentences.
- Sudden blurred vision or loss of sight in one or both eyes.
- Sudden memory loss or confusion, and dizziness or a sudden fall.
- A sudden, severe headache.
