'I’d be dead if not for my hero daughter'
“She is my hero, I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her.”
These are the words of Deana Wilkes, whose teenage daughter, Sheridan, called emergency services after she found her unconscious in her bedroom.
On the morning of March 3, 15-year-old Sheridan woke to find her mom not up and about as she usually would be.
Upon entering her bedroom, 41-year-old Deana, from Tipton, was lying unconscious on the floor.
Sheridan, who is currently in Year 10 at RSA Academy, alerted her younger sister and neighbour – nurse Tracy Mansell – and Deana was rushed to Russells Hall Hospital were she was placed in intensive care.
Despite medics trying their best, Deana's leg had to be amputated.
Recalling the horrific incident, Deana spoke of pride in her children for their reaction.
The mother-of-three said: "The last thing I remember was looking through my bedroom window before going to bed. Then I woke up in hospital with my leg amputated.
"I had been sitting on the bed with my leg underneath the other and then it seems that I had fell off during the night and had some sort of blackout that cut off my blood supply.
"My 15-year-old daughter found me before she went to school and she alerted my other daughter, 10-year-old Madison, to go and fetch a neighbour.
"It was absolutely awful for them. They must have been so scared but were incredibly brave."
Deana was in intensive care for five days, but didn't wake up until nearly two weeks later.
She was finally allowed home after 20 days.
She continued: "Sheridan stayed with me until Tracy came and called an ambulance. They could not feel a pulse on me and the vascular team were waiting for me the minute I arrived at hospital.
"Doctors are still not sure what happened but they believe it to be an acute vascular problem that cut my blood supply off.
"It was touch and go. It was either die or take my leg.
"Looking back I know that I would not have been here if it wasn't for Sheridan - she is my hero.
"Every morning and night I have a message from my friends who say that they are there for me and offer support.
"I'm due to have a brain scan and I am obviously coming to terms with having no leg but ultimatly I am so happy to still be alive.
"I am having physiotherapy and hopefully a prosthetic leg made.
"I live for my children now. They are my world and I am so proud of how they have handled this."
