Man praises charity's support after heart surgery

A man who was helped by a Jersey charity after he had a triple heart bypass has said "does not know" where he would be without their support.

Tony Perchard, 79, suffered complications with his chest wound after the operation in 2022 and the wound required further treatment.

Then Mr Perchard was left with a serious head injury when his home was badly damaged during Storm Ciaran in 2023.

Mr Perchard said he wanted to share his story to highlight how important the support from Family Nursing and Home Care (FNHC) was to him making a good recovery.

He said he wanted more people to know how much support the charity provided in Jersey.

Mr Perchard said when he returned from surgery in Oxford he knew “things were going wrong” so had to go back a further two times to “open my chest again” to remove items like metal supports which may have been causing the wound to irate.

Mr Perchard added: “Gilly from FHNC then put on a magic potion for whatever it was and she did a great job so it eventually healed.”

He received further support after being injured when his home was damaged during Storm Ciaran leaving him needing 11 stitches for "a gash of four to six inches on my head".

Mr Perchard’s wife Evie the support from FNHC was “tremendous” and her and Mr Perchard had achieved “far better result” with his recovery with this help.

“I don't know how anybody in a medical situation who could manage without FNHC because there the support they give is vital,” Mrs Perchard added.

The couple are now living in temporary accommodation in St Mary while their home is repaired.

Gilly Glendewar, who is a clinical nurse specialist in tissue viability started providing treatment for Mr Perchard after his chest wound recovery became complex.

She said it was “a bit overwhelming” to hear the feedback from the couple because “you're just out there doing your job” and it was “really quite humbling” to hear the charity had made an impact.

FNHC provides health care and support to people in Jersey both at its clinic at New Era and at their patients' homes.

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