Stroke survivor says Navan Hospital "saved his life"
A four-time stroke survivor who attended Saturday's rally to save Navan Hospital says its A&E unit "saved his life."
78-year-old Thomas Boyle, a grandfather of 38 took to the streets of Navan alongside thousands to protest at the downgrading of Meath's only hospital.
The Rally was organised by The Save Navan Hospital Campaign amid fresh concerns that the current A&E service will be replaced with a medical assessment unit or closed down.
Mr Boyle suffered four consecutive strokes in 2007 and said he was told when he presented at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan that if hadn't arrived when he did that, he would be dead. He recalls:
"I had a stroke fourteen years ago, I was at home and I didn't even know that it was a stroke, it was only when I went out to call my wife that I realised that I couldn't speak, it was terrifying.
"I went to my doctor and I took another one in the surgery then he sent me up to A&E and I took another one at the traffic lights above at Parc Tailteann on the way and then I went into A&E and took another one there.
"They brought me in and said another five minutes and I would have been gone. If I had to go over to Drogheda, there wouldn't have been a chance that I'd have survived, Navan hospital saved my life."
The father of nine says the care he received in the hospital has allowed him to watch his 38 grandchildren and five great grandchildren grow up. He added:
"It makes me sad to see that Navan is getting ten times bigger than what it used to be and they want to close down the hospital, it doesn't make sense.
"They should be making the hospital bigger not closing it down.
"Everyone came out today to show that the people of Meath are not going to let this happen without a fight.
"I spent a week there and the care was out of this world, they couldn't do enough for you.
"Those in power can't see any further than their noses, they don't care about us. They want to save money; they don't care about the lives they are putting at risk."