Former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon has praised NHS staff for saving his life as he shared a powerful bedside image of his coma battle. The 47-year-old fell ill during a flight from Los Angeles to London in 2018 and was placed in an induced coma while doctors fought to save him.
In a tweet on Wednesday to mark the NHS's 75 annivesary, Bacon wrote: "Thanks for everything you did for me 5 years ago today NHS. Thanks to the 40 people at Lewisham who saved me. Especially my consultant Vic Happy 75th. Couldn’t do it* without you (*Live) The NHS treats more than a million people a day. We’ve all got our stories."
Alongside the message, he shared a black and white photograph of himself in a hospital bed with medical tubes. Bacon was joined by other celebrities, including former Countdown star Carol Vorderman, Love Island contestant Alex George, and comedian Janey Godley, in expressing their appreciation for the NHS on its milestone anniversary.
Vorderman tweeted: "Happy 75th Birthday NHS. You’ve been our protector and our pride. Still so young when you saved my brother in the 1950s: saved my life twice in emergency: my girl born premature: my Mum with many cancers." The 62-year-old television personality has a son and daughter with her ex-husband Patrick King.
Alex George, a Welsh doctor and former Love Island contestant, posted on Instagram: "75 years of the NHS!! Happy Birthday to all you incredible people who go over and above to look after us all. Thank you for saving my life when I had sepsis and for welcoming me into the family when I was a scared first-year doctor! Let’s hope the NHS is here for a long time to come."
Janey Godley, who has presented on BBC Radio Scotland, shared a video on Twitter where she revealed that the NHS saved her life on the day she was born due to Rhesus disease. She also expressed gratitude for the health service's role in her ovarian cancer treatment, saying: "I was going to die... so I (cannot) thank the NHS enough... thanks to everyone in the NHS, what a job, have a great birthday."
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This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up the MEN's editorial research. A Manchester Evening News editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to newsdesk@men-news.co.uk*
