Dad opens up about harrowing Canary Islands holiday ordeal that left him in intensive care

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A dad-of-one from Watford was left fighting for his life when a festive family getaway to Fuerteventura turned into a harrowing holiday from hell.

Scott Ferguson, a 53 year old chef, had a stroke on Boxing Day 2022 while on a winter sun holiday with his wife, Sam, their seven year old son Josh, and other relatives.

He described his ordeal to news agency SWNS, explaining how he'd got up to brush his teeth when he realised something was seriously wrong: "Standing beside Sam, I told her I wasn't feeling right. I remember holding my hand to my head, and just feeling so disoriented."

He added: "I managed to sit down and Sam tells me now that she watched me rest my head on my right arm and then the left side of my body slumped and my face started to droop, it was as if losing all power, she knew instantly I was having a stroke."

Sam ran next door, banging on the door begging for assistance and managed to convince a Spanish couple to call an ambulance. Scott then faced an air evacuation from Fuerteventura to Gran Canaria for critical care where he spent six long weeks in the ICU, reports The Mirror.

He was eventually airlifted back to the UK for further treatment.

Reflecting on those moments, he said: "I remember thinking I was going to die. I was feeling really frightened and I just thought this must be it.

"I had no real idea what was going on - everyone around me was speaking in Spanish, and I know Sam was trying her hardest to work out what was happening.

"I remember hearing the helicopter blades so loudly, seeing the flashing lights and from there on my memory is a bit hazy. I honestly think my head just shut down trying to process all that was going on. The next thing I remember is waking up in the Intensive Care Unit, and Sam being by my side."

Scott was left so weak and debilitated that his wife had to become his carer.

"Over time and at the point when I was able to stand Sam would help me to wash each morning, it wasn’t an easy task, I am tall and I was still very weak." He admitted: "The moment I breathed in fresh air was so emotional, I remember almost gasping for air and deeply sniffing - I hadn't had fresh air for six weeks."

Everything had changed for Scott in an instant. "I was desperate to be home, near my son, back in my home comforts," he continued "but equally terrified of how I could live in my home. Not only was everything physically challenging, but mentally I really struggled too. I felt really anxious, paranoid and down - I felt like a different person to who I was before my stroke."

Doctors confirmed that the stroke was caused by an undiagnosed patent foramen ovale (PFO)- also known as a 'hole in the heart'. This hole allowed a clot to travel up to his brain and cause the stroke. In September 2023 he had surgery to close it.

Scott says swimming has helped greatly with his rehabilitation. Since the stroke, Scott has been attending regular swimming classes at South Oxhey as recommended by The Stroke Association. He says that the classes have helped him gain mobility and become stronger, and he strongly recommends it to others.

He said: "It made sense to me that swimming could be beneficial in my recovery, but I had no idea just how much it could help me physically and mentally. Attending these classes has been like a lifeline to me. I really do believe that if I'd not had these swimming classes, I'd still be sat in my bed with limited movement."

Unfortunately after his holiday, Scott had a second stroke while on the bus in June. He's now been prescribed epilepsy medication to help.

"At the time of the seizure I was feeling really good - like I had a good grip on life - this threw me. I found it really hard to leave the house again, and it's like I went back down to rock bottom again. I did pluck up the courage to keep going, but it was so hard," Scott explained.

"Having the medication has helped with things mentally, at least I know something is being done to prevent it happening again. I'm still on a journey with my stroke recovery. I'm having to hugely adapt and learn to understand what's going on with my brain.

"I'm back in the kitchen again after 19 months off work. Now I have to take things slowly, those things I could do blindfolded, like dicing an onion, are no longer tasks I can do so easily. But just like having to relearn how to get dressed, tie my laces, climb stairs, I know I'll have to slowly retrain my brain how to be back in the kitchen.

"I never thought I would have a stroke. I was a healthy and fit 51-year-old. Life was good. A stroke can come at any time, to anyone - I hope by sharing my story more people can be aware of the condition and understand just how difficult recovery can be."

More stroke stories

• Stroke campaign raises awareness
• Scots dad's life-changing stroke
• Schoolgirl left paralysed by stroke
• This fruit could help cut stroke risk

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