Fundraiser launched for Mansfield dad with 'bleed on brain' to improve 'quality' of life

Chris Spalding, from Mansfield, thought it was a normal night like any other, as he went for a soak in the bath while tea was cooking.

It was after he was dressed when he said he felt the “worst pain imaginable” in his chest and struggled to breathe.

Chris was told by paramedics that it was a heart related medical episode and that he needed to go to hospital urgently.

At King’s Mill Hospital, Chris was taken straight through to resuscitation, followed by CT scans.

Chris’ sister Sara said the 41-year-old had a large tear in his aorta and had to be rushed to Nottingham City Hospital and as he was given a 10 per cent chance of surviving the journey, she said they were advised to say their goodbyes.

She said Chris was in cardiogenic shock, tapenade and peri arrest – meaning he had just had a full cardiac arrest and his heart had stopped beating, and blood flow to his brain and vital organs was restricted.

Despite the risks but given his young age and knowing he had so many people relying on him to pull through, Sara said the surgeon proceeded with the surgery.

She said Chris was then put on a femoral heart bypass and his chest was opened up.

After nearly nine hours and five blood transfusions Chris was moved to intensive care, as his family were told he had a type A aortic dissection involving the ascending aorta and going down to the aortic root.

He then underwent acute type A aortic dissection repair with root replacement, ascending aorta replacement, reimplantation of both coronaries and mechanical aortic valve replacement.

Chris spent a few days in intensive care and subsequent CT scans showed fluid in his pericardium, likely to be empyema (a collection of pus in the pleural cavity) possibly caused by a bacterial infection around his heart – he also had a collapsed lung.

Again he was rushed into surgery, given a drain in his pericardium to get rid of all the fluid and reinflate his lung.

After several days with fluids drained off, he was able to go back to the ward and later discharged.

Sara has since set up a GoFundMe page – https://shorturl.at/blxU3 – to alleviate financial worry for Chris and fund medical equipment needed to aid his recovery.

Sara said: “Chris still cannot work and his sick pay is quickly coming to an end, with a home to run and four children to support it’s getting increasingly difficult.

“He is only 41-years-old and deserves the same quality of life that we all do.

“He has helped out his local community giving his time to volunteer at the soup kitchen, during COVID he put himself on the frontline to make sure the homeless still got a decent meal every day and helped deliver food parcels – he also became a lifeline for some who had no one to talk to and built a rapport with service users.

“Now I hope the community can come full circle and give a little back at a time when it is truly needed.”