THE OBJECTIVE
Jonathan Coleman had been a tradesman since leaving school in many different roles, including bricklaying, ground working and concrete finishing. The majority of his career was spent with Quadro (14 years) and 4 years with Explore Manufacturing (which is part of Lang O’Rourke).
Six weeks before he was due to get married, he suffered a stroke at the age of 48 in July 2018 and lost use of the left side of his body.
With the support of his wife, Angela, he has undergone specialist rehabilitation and has recovered to the point where he can walk – aided by a FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation) device to support foot drop – and a walking stick. Unfortunately, he still cannot use his left hand.
Jonathan struggles to get from his drives to the house due to the unevenness of the drives and grass and has fallen on a number of occasions. He also finds the step into his house very slippery, as it is quarry tiled.
MEET JONATHAN
THE BACKGROUND
Jonathan was driving to work one morning when he became unwell and turned back and went home. Thankfully, Angela, his wife-to-be at the time, was at home and because she was familiar with the acronym FAST (face, arms, speech and time) to help people recognise the signs of a stroke, she called 999. The first responder was on scene within minutes, quickly followed by an ambulance, which was able to get Jonathan to hospital within 30 minutes of the initial emergency call.
Doctors suggested that Jonathan required thrombolysis – an emergency medical procedure that dissolves dangerous blood clots, restoring blood flow to prevent organ damage from strokes, heart attacks or pulmonary embolisms. Angela made the informed decision to go ahead with the procedure, despite the numerous risks.
Jonathan spent the next three months in hospital and also in specialist neurological rehabilitation in London. He was able to secure a place because he was otherwise fit and healthy before the stroke.
As part of his treatment, he underwent a series of brain scans, which revealed he had two brain tumours, neither of which was related to his stroke. In October 2019, Jonathan had one of the tumours removed, but the other one is deemed inoperable, as it is so close to the area that has been affected by the stroke.
THE PROJECT
Angela approached Band of Builders, having seen an episode of BBC TV’s DIY SOS where the charity was discussed.
As mentioned, Jonathan struggles to walk on the uneven or slippery surfaces outside his home and has had numerous dangerous falls.
At the front of his house is a grassed area separating two drives (one either side), and this project will remove the two drives and grassed area to create one large block paved area (with a gentle slope to avoid the need for steps to the front door) that is safe for Jonathan to walk on.
We need help to get this project completed – could you volunteer? Register your interest for Jonathan’s Project.
When: Work to start in June
Duration: TBC
Where: Market Bosworth, Leicestershire
Trades Required: TBC – we are also looking for a volunteer to lead this project.