A stroke victim who collapsed on a Mayfair street has been reconnected with the “guardian angel” who saved his life.
Mathew O’Toole, 47, was sitting on a bench outside a coffee shop on Wigmore Street on June 10 when he began vomiting and sweating.
A nurse with a “kind face”, called Dani or Danielle, spotted the signs of a stroke and stopped to help, calling for an ambulance.
Following a social media appeal, the family has now made contact with Danielle.
His wife, Georgina O’Toole, 44, said: “One of her friends saw the article and got in touch on LinkedIn and said, you don’t know me but I know Danielle and this is her email address.
“I sent her a quick email last night to check she was the right Danielle, and she said yes she was, and she had been worrying ever since about what happened to him and was really pleased to know that he was ok.
“She said there was no need for any thanks, but it would be very nice to have a chat over the phone when we have some time. She came across as a very lovely person, over email as well as in person.”
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Sunday, Mr O’Toole said: “It’s just amazing. I just want to talk to [Danielle] about why, about how, about what I can do to support what she did, and how more people can just not walk on by, which is what she didn’t do.”
Mrs O’Toole said the family hopes to be able to do something in thanks, such as donating to a charity of her choice.
They also want to raise awareness of the fact vomiting can be a sign of a stroke.
She said: “I’ve had a lot of people say, yes, my partner or husband or dad vomited and people didn’t realise what it was, and some people said it got misdiagnosed as vertigo.
“Unfortunately some people who contacted me on Twitter their loved ones didn’t survive and that really brings it home.
“Although we know the common side effects of a stroke, there can be lots of symptoms including vomiting, double vision, spinning, and nausea and I want to get that across and make sure that nobody passes on by.”
Mrs O’Toole said the family is grateful they are able to spend Father’s Day together.
“I will definitely be making dinner for him, but nothing out of the ordinary because we don’t need out of the ordinary, we just need him home and healthy,” she said.
