Emotional goodbye for patient who spent 352 days at NGH

Pierre leaving the hospital after 352 days

A patient who has spent almost a year in hospital received an emotional send off from staff at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) today as he moved on to the next stage of his recovery journey.

Pierre Rudd, 52, from Northampton, was admitted into the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at NGH in November 2022, following extensive vascular surgery for an aortic repair.

Over the following weeks and months, Pierre had several brain strokes, partial paralysis of the vocal cords and a spinal stroke that left the lower part of his body paralysed and him facing a lengthy recovery.

But, little by little Pierre began to recover and now, after a total of 352 days spent in NGH, he is ready to move to a specialist rehabilitation centre.

During his time in hospital colleagues working on Becket ward, where Pierre has spent most of his recovery, and the Critical Care team formed a close bond with Pierre and his family.

Lizzie Lamb, Becket ward sister, cared for Pierre throughout his stay and was there to say goodbye earlier: “You get an amazing satisfaction from knowing that you have cared for someone for such an extensive period of time. You've shared their highs and lows and you have gone on that journey with him. The whole of the nursing team, we all know him and his family very well. They are a lovely family and we are devastated he is leaving here because we genuinely love him to pieces, but on the other hand, he needs this move as the next part of his recovery journey.”

Speaking about the teams on Becket ward and the Critical Care unit, Natacha Rudd, Pierre’s wife said: “The staff here feel like family. They mean so much and they made the bad moments feel not so bad. I don't have enough words to say how much they mean because they've kept my husband alive.”

It was an emotional goodbye for Pierre, his family and the hospital staff who lined the hospital corridor to wish him well on his way.

Pierre will now move to a rehabilitation facility where he can begin the next stage in his recovery with specialist spinal rehabilitation. 

On behalf of all of the team at Northampton General Hospital we would like to wish Pierre and his family all the best for his next stage in recovery and their future together.