A north-east businessman has spoken about his “miraculous” recovery from a stroke.
Paul Haggath, owner of the Symposium coffee chain which has branches in Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Crimond and Ellon, suffered a devastating blow five months ago when he collapsed as he was preparing for a day out with his wife Wendy.
She recognised the stroke symptoms, immediately called an ambulance, and her husband was rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
However, Mr Haggath, who turns 42 later this month, has now battled back to health and has since returned to work.
He said: “I think it has been a blessing. If there was ever a time for me to have a stroke it was the right time. I know that sounds bizarre.
“When they checked my arteries, I was fine so there couldn’t been anything healthwise that was wrong with me.
“If it had been later on life I might have not been so lucky. I had age on my side.
“My wife’s fast action was also factor in the recovery as she recognised the symptoms from the television adverts.
“You don’t really expect it to happen. My wife and I are still in disbelief, but we have checked the doctor’s notes and I did have a stroke.”
Mr Haggath was subsequently confined to bed because any kind of physical activity tired him out.
He also grew anxious about seeing people at work and while watching his beloved Peterhead FC.
After a series of tests, medics found a 0.5 inch hole in his heart and he is now awaiting an operation to fix it.
It means he will have to stay on blood thinning medication for the rest of his life.
Mr Haggath said his recovery since January has been “miraculous” and it has also allowed him and his wife, who have four daughters, to rejig their lives.
He added: “I’ve still got the heart operation to go through and the doctors said it is a 1.3cm hole and they should be able to fix it with keyhole surgery.
“We are just waiting for an appointment. But I hope that, once that is done, I will feel better than I’ve ever felt before.
“We’ve taken it as a great opportunity to try and refocus on just what it is we are doing.
“It was a chance to step back and see what was important in life.”