An Aberdeenshire dad-of-two has been left unable to walk and requires round-the-clock care after suffering a stroke during surgery for a brain aneurysm.
Maciek Wojcik, who lives in Ellon, was rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after collapsing at work in November last year.
When he arrived, medics confirmed the 55-year-old had experienced a stroke as a result of an aneurysm on his brain.
Maciek was given the choice of letting his condition play out or undergoing brain surgery - the most severe outcome being total paralysis or death.
Maciek opted for surgery, which he underwent in February, but he took another stroke on the operating table, this one more devastating than the last.
The marine electrician, who is originally from Poland but has lived in Scotland for 17 years, has now been left without feeling or movement in his left arm and is unable to walk - even with a stick - without support.
Maciek's wife, Iwona, 49, told the Record: "When he woke up from the surgery and realised what was happening, he was absolutely devastated.
"He was blaming himself, worrying that he'd made the wrong decision to go through with the surgery.
"He felt it was the wrong decision. It's been an absolute nightmare."
After suffering the second stroke on the operating table, Maciek was rushed for an MRI which found a blood clot in one of the stents that had been inserted.
Medics were then forced to repeat the procedure - but it was too late.
The whole left side of Maciek's body had drooped, his speech was impaired, he struggled to move his arms and legs and his bladder was affected, meaning he had to go to the toilet every two hours or less.
He was then transported back to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he spent three days on the acute stroke ward, before being moved to Woodend Hospital to begin rehabilitation.
Iwona, a senior cost controller, continued: "He was very stressed before the surgery. What was he supposed to do? It wasn't a simple answer. He could live with the aneurism for the next 20 years or for the next two days.
"He just wanted to live.
"They were hoping he would be fine after repeating the procedure but after 24 hours, he didn't recover.
"At Woodend Hospital, he received up to half an hour of physio a day but for the other 23 hours, he was in his bed.
"He made very little progress."
In June, Maciek and Iwona flew to Poland for neurologically complex physiotherapy in a bid to build Maciek's strength back up as the NHS and private healthcare could only offer one hour of treatment each per week.
Although his condition improved slightly, Maciek has gone from an avid hillwalker and physical labourer to requiring 24-hour care from his wife, who now juggles work with being her husband's full-time carer.
Maciek is 'desperate' to go back to his previous life, Iwona says, but he realises the chances of that are slim.
Iwona added: "Every weekend we spent walking in the hills and exploring Scotland. If we couldn't travel, we'd walk on Aberdeen beach. We just can't do that anymore.
"I wish we could plan the future but both strokes and the surgery has showed us that you can't plan anything. We're just taking it day by day. How far he will recover, we don't know.
"It's very depressing for us both but Maciek is a fighter and he will never give up. He is determined to return to how things were."
The couple are now fundraising to fund continued intensive physiotherapy for Maciek in the hopes that he will regain the use of his left side, as well as home adaptations to make him more comfortable in the meantime.
If you would like to donate to Maciek's fundraiser, please click here.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
