Over the past four weeks, the Guardian has been reporting on one of the most complex organisations in the world: the NHS.
As part of the project, we asked our readers to tell us if there was a time the NHS saved their life. More than 1,000 people got in touch with stories from all areas of the health service. From emergency care to maternity and cancer, there was no shortage of stories from patients. Here are all those we featured in the series.
My partner stabbed me in the back
Emily Spink never dreamed her then partner would hurt her. But after an argument one evening in 2012, he attacked her with a kitchen knife and punctured her lung. Fortunately, he called an ambulance and the NHS stepped in to save her life.
I should never have made it out of my car alive
After a car accident one wintry December morning, Naila Aslam turned from junior doctor to patient. The accident was so severe that at one point her parents were told to say their goodbyes.
I was pregnant, alone and bleeding but didn’t realise the danger
At 32 weeks pregnant, Jennifer Dawson noticed an unusual trickle of blood when she went to the toilet one morning. She was not in pain so did not panic too much, but called her GP just in case. Both the receptionist and her doctor recognised the danger she and her baby were in, calling paramedics straightaway.
Rescuing a kitten nearly killed me
Saving a cat is usually a good thing, but for Si Sharp his act of kindness ended up causing one of the worst asthma attacks of his life.
My baby was born in our bathroom
Caroline Howe was due to be induced with her second child one afternoon – but the baby had other ideas. That morning, as the contractions kept coming, she realised events were unfolding much quicker than anticipated.
My two-year-old daughter had sepsis and was close to death
Intuition told Rachel Oyoo all was not right with her two-year-old daughter, Rosie, after a bout of chickenpox. A quick-thinking nurse at her local hospital agreed, suspecting a case of sepsis.
I spent my 20s playing Russian roulette with alcohol
The NHS has been there time and time again for Chris Owen, who battled alcoholism throughout his 20s. Now sober, he reflects on all the occasions the health service picked him up.
The NHS helped me recover after suicide attempt
Matthew Streuli’s mental health issues had bubbled under the surface for years. After a suicide attempt last year a psychologist with the NHS helped him on his way to recovery.
I was sectioned after trying to kill myself
At the age of 17, Sarah Lamb was struggling with self harm and suicidal thoughts. Being sectioned was the catalyst for her recovery, which took seven years.
The NHS saved me from anorexia when I had no one to look after me
Taken into care after the death of her mother, Nina Martynchyk was supported by the NHS as she struggled with anorexia. She says she will always remember the employees who went the extra mile, from the receptionist who popped in to see her to the nurse who took her out on her day off.
A secret tumour should have killed me
Andrew Pulver still has no idea how he sustained the mystery neck wound that made him call 999 in the middle of the night – but if he had not, he may never have found out about a life-threatening tumour.
I can’t count all those who helped me after a stroke
After a family member had a stroke, John Oakley made sure to read up everything he could on the condition. Then one day, the same thing happened to him. He says the amazing medical teams – and his determination – got him walking and talking again.
I’m ready to run again after a leaking heart valve
A keen runner, Karin Hessenberg knew things were not right when she struggled to complete a short park run. A visit to the GP led to a hospital referral and the diagnosis of a condition that could have turned life-threatening without treatment.
I died in a hotel car park
Maggie Gordon had no apparent symptoms when she pulled into a Lancaster car park for a stop-off on a trip from Scotland to Cornwall. She closed the car door, walked a few steps then collapsed and died. Luckily, the NHS was there to bring her back.
I had cancer and a heart defect as a baby
The NHS saved Rachael Hogg’s life twice when she was just a baby: once when she had a tumour removed from her kidney, and a second time when doctors discovered a heart defect.
Read Rachael’s full story here
I spent months paralysed from head to toe
When she started feeling ill, Kara Houston thought she had the flu. It got worse and worse, and she went from feeling under the weather to being paralysed from head to toe, unable to communicate, yet completely aware of everything around her.
My baby had stopped breathing
At 20 hours old, Claire Smith’s baby Milli’s glucose levels dropped to potentially fatal levels. Thanks to a midwife’s visit and the Herts air ambulance, she survived – with a rare pituitary gland condition identified weeks later.
My migraines alerted me to a brain tumour
In her final year of medical training, Frances Paine did not think she needed to see a doctor for her migraines. Thanks to an MRI scan, taken just in case, she discovered she had a brain tumour.
Read Frances’s full story here
I lost nearly all my body’s blood after giving birth
When Hayley Dunlop gave birth to her first child last year, it all seemed very straightforward. But hours later she needed a lifesaving transfusion and an urgent operation to remove a stuck placenta.
